Abstract: Fuel flow to a gas turbine engine is controlled in response to power lever position and CDP. Fuel is supplied to the engine through three fuel flow regulating circuits which are in parallel. In one of these circuits there is a valve which establishes a minimum fuel flow which decreases with increasing power lever advance. In a second circuit there is a valve which modifies fuel flow in response to CDP. In a third circuit there is a valve which modifies fuel flow in response to CDP and receives fuel from a valve which opens with increasing power lever advance. The fuel control system includes a low power sensitive torque motor which may be activated to increase the pressure drop across the three circuits whose flow thus increases proportionally. Normal engine operation is obtainable without the use of the torque motor which provides an interface to an electronic control unit which senses various engine and ambient parameters and activates the torque motor in order to modify fuel flow accordingly.

Abstract: A clip is bolted to the wall at points along the rail to hold the rail on the wall. Each clip includes a rigid retainer and a curved springy spacer. The clip is bolted to the wall to force the spacer against the rail, to force the rail against the wall. The spacer is slightly flattened to hold the rail in place, but allows the rail to slide in the retainer, along the wall, as the wall settles, thus preventing compression forces in the rail between the clips.

Abstract: A plural elevator system having a group controller for controlling the joint response of a plurality of elevator cars to the needs of a building, employs a microprocessor-based group controller for providing up peak, down peak and other zone-controlled elevator functions. The group controller provides a variable interval between dispatching of elevator cars from the lobby during up peak, the dispatching interval being controlled by the approximate round trip time of an elevator being dispatched from the lobby in serving the car calls registered within it and returning to the lobby, or the average of the approximate round trip time for two or three most recently dispatched elevator cars. The dispatching interval is determined by the approximate round trip time divided by the number of elevator cars serving the up peak traffic.

Abstract: An elevator system includes a microprocessor-based cab controller mounted directly on an elevator car, which controls the operation of the elevator door. Elevator door motion is commanded in response to the difference in actual door velocity from a desired, dictated door velocity in accordance with desired rates of acceleration and deceleration, maximum velocity, acceleration and deceleration, the point at which deceleration is to begin, and a velocity at which deceleration is to decrease. The disclosed invention provides selective modification in maximum velocity along with the point at which deceleration is to begin, the velocity at which deceleration is to decrease along with the point at which deceleration is to begin, and/or simply the point where deceleration is to begin, so that door velocity profiles may be tailored to suit any particular door of a given type. An exemplary environment for and details of the present invention are disclosed.

Abstract: A pressure plate is depressed to actuate a momentary closing switch by exerting pressure on a flexible cover on the switch through a semi-rigid separator and an elastomeric diaphragm. A projection on the plate contacts the separator to focus the pressure on a portion thereof. A foam ring is disposed around the projection and between the plate and separator and is compressed as the plate is depressed.

Abstract: The perimeter of an area is scanned along two adjacent paths which define spacially resolved gates through which objects and people must pass to enter and leave the area. As the gates are scanned, the presence of objects and people are detected. A complete scan produces a gate signature which includes information indicative of the presence and location of objects and people in each gate during the scan. Successive signatures are compared in sequence as scans are made in order to determine changes caused by movement of objects and people in or out of the area. From this comparison an up/down counter is controlled to maintain a dynamic count of the number of objects or people in the area following each scan of the gates. The counter counts up as objects and people enter the area and counts down as they leave.

Abstract: An elevator system having a microprocessor-based elevator door motion controller controls door motion by means of the difference between actual door velocity and a dictated door velocity, which is dictated in a variety of ways in dependence on conditions of the elevator. The disclosed invention comprises sensing a door reversal demand and causing the dictated velocity to be in accordance with a reverse acceleration factor determined as the square of the velocity of the door at the time the door reverse demand is made divided by twice the distance within which it is desired that the door shall stop after the reversal demand is made, before accelerating in the reverse direction, and providing a door-stopping boost or kick current to the elevator door motor in order to assist the door in stopping, the current being a derivative lag function of the velocity of the door at the time the reversal demand is sensed.

Abstract: An elevator door motion control is operative in either of two modes, the first mode being set in the case where door motion begins with the doors fully open and closed and no special conditions, such as initiation, exist. In this mode, door motion is controlled as the difference between door velocity and a dictated velocity in accordance with desired rates of acceleration and deceleration, and desired maximum velocity, acceleration and deceleration. The second mode of operation takes into account initiation at start-up, door reversals, nudging commands, high force conditions created by obstructions, and resumption of door motion following stall, other than when the door is either fully open or closed in stall. In the second mode of operation, the door is commanded by the difference between its present velocity and a dictated velocity which is selected as the lesser of an acceleration to a maximum desired velocity and a function of the distance of the door remaining to a target distance.

Abstract: An elevator system includes a microprocessor-based cab controller mounted directly on an elevator car, which controls elevator door motion in response to the difference between elevator door velocity and a desired dictated door velocity. The signals driving the elevator motor include compensation signals for hoistway door spirators, static door friction, and variations in the door operator mechanism as a function of door position, and are generated, in the disclosed embodiment, to take into account the variation in door motion as a function of door motor motion. An exemplary elevator system, an exemplary microprocessor-based controller, and logic flowcharts for an overall door control program, as well as details of the invention herein are disclosed.

Abstract: An elevator system includes a microprocessor-based cab controller which controls door motion and which controls the generation of stall forces in the door. The disclosed embodiment includes a dictated velocity, high-speed door profile, and a position-controlled dictated velocity profile, door motion being controlled as the difference between actual door velocity and dictated velocity. A stall mode, in which the door motor is provided with currents required to provide a desired force on the door, is invoked with the door velocity is less than a predetermined stall velocity, provided that the door is at an extreme position of traverse, the previous cycle was a stall cycle, or a hysteresis time period has elapsed with the velocity consistently less than the stall velocity. An exemplary elevator control system and microprocessor-based cab controller, as well as an exemplary overall door control program and details of the present invention are disclosed.

Abstract: An elevator employing a microprocessor-based cab controller, for controlling, among other things, the opening and closing of the elevator car door, provides a pair of dictated door velocity profile signals and selects the one having the lesser value, to dictate motor current in accordance with the selected desired door motion profile. A first one of the profiles includes acceleration up to a desired maximum velocity, and a second one of the door motion profiles consists of a deceleration profile generated as a function of the distance from the door to a desired target position. An exemplary elevator system and cab controller, along with an exemplary door control program for the cab controller, establishing an environment in which the invention may suitably be practiced, and detailed program steps for effecting the present invention in such an environment are disclosed.

Abstract: A laser beam is focused to a spot on the surface of an object whose contour is to be measured. The spot is projected from the surface onto a detector by a reciprocating mirror which scans the spot across the detector. The detector produces two output signals consisting of sequential pulses at the frequency scan. The relative duration of these pulses or duty cycle reflects the change in contour dimension with respect to the scan centerline or mid point that corresponds to the base or zero dimension of the contour surface. The duty cycle is utilized to compute the change in contour dimension and to move the optics in such a way as to allow the spot to be continually scanned across the detector. The movement of the optics is made whenever there is a certain contour dimension change and by correlating the movement in the position of the optics and the instantaneous computed contour change reflected in the scan, the actual contour dimension is obtained.

Abstract: An elevator system includes a microprocessor-based cab controller mounted directly on an elevator car. The activity of passenger-actuatable switches within the elevator car, such as car call, open door, emergency stop switches, and the like, is monitored as an indication of the presence of passengers within the elevator car. Without such activity, the car is determined, preliminarily, to be empty. If the conditions exist for a period of time, the car is determined to be really empty, in a second level determination of the empty status of the car. The utilization of passenger load weight, along with passenger actuatable switch activity, is also disclosed as a determination of the empty status of the car. An exemplary elevator system, an exemplary microprocessor-based controller, and a logic flowchart illustrative of the details of the invention are disclosed herein.

Abstract: Fuel flow to a gas turbine engine is controlled in response to power lever position and CDP by a hydromechanical section. The hydromechanical section includes a torque motor which may be activated to modify the fuel flow to the engine in response to a control signal produced by an electronic control section. The electronic control section senses a number of engine and ambient parameters and generates engine operating limits from these parameters. The limit corresponding to the lowest maximum engine speed is selected and referenced to actual engine speed for generating the control signal, thereby providing a closed loop engine speed control. At least one of the computed limits is an actual maximum engine speed for steady state engine operation and is used to recompute the engine scheduled speed so that the actual maximum engine speed is obtained at the maximum power lever advance position; in this way power lever dead band is eliminated.

Abstract: The ends of a premeasured length of an elastic, thermoset sheave insert material are laminated together in a special splicing jig for fabricating a unitized insert loop, which is subsequently stretched around a sheave into a preformed insert receiving slot along the circumference thereof. The jig holds the ends of the premeasured length of insert material in alignment as a heated mold, included therein, fits snugly around the ends and applies heat to the joint therebetween, into which the insert material, in liquid form, has been inserted to join the ends. The heat thus applied to the joint accelerates the curing of the liquid into the same consistency as the insert; thereby producing a unitized bond between the ends by which the unitized loop is thus formed.

Abstract: A piston slides in a fluid-filled piston chamber for damping or snubbing the movement of an object connected thereto. Attached to the piston is a piston rod which is disposed in the main fluid supply reservoir located below the piston chamber, at the lowest point in the apparatus. As the piston moves, the associated movement of this rod in the reservoir varies its displacement therein, thereby displacing fluid into a vented secondary reservoir which is located above the piston chamber, at the highest point in the damper apparatus. Any leakage from the piston chamber collects in the reservoirs. Both reservoirs are in fluid supply connection with the piston chamber so that piston movement causes fluid to flow into the chamber from the reservoirs so as to keep the chamber completely filled with fluid at all times. Both reservoirs supply fluid to the piston rod seals, which are thereby always immersed in fluid.

Abstract: Magnetic flux is induced in the tape by applying a magnetic field to the tape. Where there is a perforation or a crack air gaps are created and magnetic flux radiates outwardly from the tape across these air gaps. The presence of the crack is detected by sensing the radiating flux at two distances from the tape. At one distance, close to the tape, the total flux is the sum of the flux from the crack and the perforation. At the other distance, further from the tape, the flux is solely that produced by the perforation. A coil is placed at each position to sense the flux. The tape is moved, which causes the flux to intersect the coils. The intersection produces an output signal from each coil. The signal produced by the coil further from the tape is subtracted from the signal produced by the coil closer to the tape; the difference being a signal caused by the additional flux produced by the crack. An alarm is sounded and in indicator lights when the signal is present.

Abstract: Fuel flow to a gas turbine engine is controlled in response to power lever position and CDP. Fuel is supplied to the engine through three fuel flow regulating circuits which are in parallel. In one of these circuits there is a valve which establishes a minimum fuel flow which decreases with increasing power lever advance. In a second circuit there is a valve which modifies fuel flow in response to CDP. In a third circuit there is a valve which modifies fuel flow in response to CDP and receives fuel from a valve which opens with increasing power lever advance. The fuel control system includes a low power sensitive torque motor which may be activated to increase the pressure drop across the three circuits whose flow thus increases proportionally. Normal engine operation is obtainable without the use of the torque motor which provides an interface to an electronic control unit which senses various engine and ambient parameters and activates the torque motor in order to modify fuel flow accordingly.

Abstract: Antennae located in the doors of an elevator car are in circuit with a balanced bridge detector coupled to an oscillator. Increased capacitance to ground produced by a person or object between the doors creates a bridge disbalance, which gives rise to the production of a bridge output signal whose level is proportional to the change in capacitance. Each time the car door opens at a floor, the signal level from the bridge obtained at an intermediate door position is stored as a reference indicative of the capacitance change resulting from dynamic environmental and structural factors. When the doors are fully open, the output from the bridge is compared with the stored signal level for detecting the additional capacitance created by a person or object between the doors and controlling door movement accordingly.

Abstract: A first memory contains the location of each floor in the elevator shaft. A second memory stores a distance correction for each floor. The sum of the stored correction and the stored location is compared with the actual car location in the shaft to position the car at a floor. Each time the car door opens, after a delay, the leveling distance is sensed and if the car is below a preselected level zone one unit of correction equal to a preselected distance is added to the stored correction. The resulting new correction is stored in the second memory. On a successive stop at the same floor the car will position that preselected distance closer to the level zone until it is above the zone, when a unit of correction is subtracted from the stored correction. In this fashion the car clusters around the level zone.