Elevator belt monitoring apparatus and blade contact

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11634302-B2
Application number	US-202117446850-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 3, 2021
Priority date	Sep 3, 2021
Publication date	Apr 25, 2023
Grant date	Apr 25, 2023

Abstract

An elevator belt monitoring apparatus includes a housing for receiving an elevator belt and a plurality of blade contacts which are operable to pierce the belt and engage the spaced parallel cords arranged within the belt. A plurality of bridge contacts are connected with adjacent pairs of elevator belt cords and signal contacts are connected with cords at the outer edges of the belts. The signal contacts are connected with a monitoring device which sends and receives signals to the contacts to provide an indication of the condition or deterioration of the belt.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An elevator belt monitoring apparatus, comprising
(a) a housing for receiving an elevator belt; and
(b) a plurality of belt-piercing contacts arranged in an array within said housing, each belt-piercing contact being configured to contact at least one cord within the belt and having a blade configuration including a top edge, side edges and a bottom edge including at least one projection, said top edge of said belt-piercing contacts containing a receptacle within which a tool may be arranged to force said belt-piercing contacts into the belt a sufficient distance to pierce at least one cord within the belt, said plurality of belt-piercing contacts including a pair of signal contacts having a single projection configured to pierce the cords adjacent to opposite side edges of the belt, respectively, said signal contacts containing an opening for connection with a signal wire.

2. An elevator belt monitoring apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein said belt-piercing contact side edges having a sawtooth configuration.

3. An elevator belt monitoring apparatus as defined in claim 2 , wherein each of said projections have side edges having a sawtooth configuration.

4. An elevator belt monitoring apparatus as defined in claim 3 , wherein each of said projections extends in a longitudinal direction and includes an end portion terminating in a point which pierces a respective cord.

5. An elevator belt monitoring apparatus as defined in claim 4 , wherein said contacts have a planar configuration and a thickness of said projection end portions progressively decreases toward said point.

6. An elevator belt monitoring apparatus as defined in claim 5 , wherein said projection end portions have a stepped configuration.

7. An elevator belt monitoring apparatus as defined in claim 6 , wherein said projection end portions are arranged at an angle relative said longitudinal direction.

8. An elevator belt monitoring apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein each of said belt-piercing contacts includes a pair of projections which are spaced by a distance corresponding with a thickness of a cord, whereby when said contacts pierce the belt, the cord is contacted by opposed edges of said pair of projections.

9. An elevator belt monitoring apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein said top edge of said belt-piercing contacts contains a receptacle, whereby a tool may be arranged in said receptacle to force said belt-piercing contact into the belt a sufficient distance to pierce at least one cord within the belt.

10. An elevator belt monitoring apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein said signal contact openings are tapered, whereby as said signal contacts are forced into the belt, the wire is displaced to a narrow end of said opening to establish an electrical signal connection.

11. An elevator belt monitoring apparatus as defined in claim 10 , and further comprising a monitoring device connected with said wires for delivering an electrical signal to said signal contacts and processing a return signal from said signal contacts to indicate a condition of the elevator cords.

12. An elevator belt monitoring apparatus as defined in claim 1 , wherein said belt-piercing contacts comprise a plurality of bridge contacts having a pair of spaced projections configured to pierce a pair of adjacent cords, respectively, within the belt.

13. An elevator belt monitoring apparatus as defined in claim 12 , wherein said housing includes a bottom portion which receives the elevator belt and a top portion removably connected with said bottom portion.

14. An elevator belt monitoring apparatus as defined in claim 13 , wherein housing top portion contains a plurality of openings arranged in an array and said belt-piercing contacts are arranged in said housing top portion openings, respectively, whereby a drive assembly may be inserted into said housing top portion openings and pressed against said contact receptacles to drive said contacts through the elevator belt to engage respective cords.

15. An elevator belt monitoring apparatus as defined in claim 14 , wherein said housing bottom portion includes a pair of side walls define a channel for receiving the elevator belt.

16. An elevator belt monitoring apparatus as defined in claim 15 , wherein said housing bottom portion side walls include inwardly extending resilient members which press against edge portions of the elevator belt to position the elevator belt within said housing bottom portion with one of the cords within the elevator belt aligned with each of the contact projections.

17. A belt-piercing contact for an elevator belt monitoring apparatus, comprising
a blade member having a top edge, a bottom edge, and side edges, said top edge containing a receptacle within which a tool may be arranged to force said belt-piercing contacts into the belt a sufficient distance to pierce at least one cord within the belt and said bottom edge including at least one projection, said at least one projection including an end portion terminating in a point for piercing an elevator belt and a cord arranged in the belt to electrically and mechanically connect said blade member with the cord, said blade member containing an opening for connection with a signal wire.

Assignees

• Weidmueller Interface Gmbh & Co Kg

Inventors

• Nolting Reinhard
• Waldhoff Marco
• Dallman Niels
• Smith Christopher

Classifications

• B66B7/062

  Belts · CPC title

• B66B7/1223 Primary

  by analysing electric variables · CPC title

• B66B7/064

  Power supply or signal cables · CPC title