# US 9,038,780 B2 · Safety brake for incline elevators > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,038,780 B2 - Document ID: US9038780B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 13/149,657 - Filed: 2011-05-31 - Published: 2011-12-01 - Granted: 2015-05-26 - Earliest claimed: 2010-05-31 - Assignees: Geosen - Applicants: Rob Drew; Chris Thomsen - Inventors: Rob Drew; Chris Thomsen - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9038780B2 ## CPC - B66B 7/022: {with a special shape} - B66B 5/20: by means of rotatable eccentrically-mounted members (B66B5/24 takes precedence) - B66B 9/06: inclined, e.g. serving blast furnaces - B66B: ELEVATORS; ESCALATORS OR MOVING WALKWAYS ({apparatus for raising or lowering persons on theatrical stages or the like A63J5/12} ; funicular railbound systems with rigid ground-supported tracks and cable traction, e.g. cliff railways, B61B9/00; arrangements of ammunition handlers in vessels B63G3/00; hoists, lifts, or conveyors for loading or unloading in general B65G; braking or detent devices controlling normal movements of winding drums or barrels B66D; ship-lifting devices E02C; garages for many vehicles with mechanical means for lifting vehicles E04H6/12; hoists for feeding ammunition or projectiles to launching apparatus or to loading mechanisms F41A9/00) ## Abstract An incline elevator with a load carrying unit running on a U-shaped track. The load carrying unit is mounted on trucks engaging the track. Below the trucks are swivelably mounted eccentric safety devices, with roller guides spring loaded against the interior walls of the channel, and eccentric brakes retracted during normal operation or extended during emergencies like a break in the elevator hoist cable. The eccentric brakes are retracted when both mechanically and electrically driven linkages are engaged. The brakes are retracted when tension is present in the hoist cable, and when electrical speed sensors sense an underspeed condition. The eccentric brakes deploy when either there is a hoist cable break, an overspeed condition, or an incline elevator power failure. The eccentric brakes are spring loaded to swing out, engaging the interior walls of the channel of the track, and jam in position stopping the load carrying unit. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A safety brake for an incline elevator, comprising: a bottom frame; a center pin, the center pin being mounted to the bottom frame at or near a center of the bottom frame; one or more eccentric brakes, the one or more eccentric brakes being swivelably mounted to the center pin, the one or more eccentric brakes being pear-shaped having a fat end disposed in a downhill direction of the incline elevator, the one or more eccentric brakes being spring-loaded to rotate the fat end laterally to engage an interior wall of a U-shaped track of the incline elevator; an eccentric bell crank, the eccentric bell crank being swivelably mounted on an axle of a truck of a load carrying unit of the incline elevator, the eccentric bell crank including at least: a docking lever; and a solenoid lever; and a brake cable, the brake cable coupling the eccentric bell crank with the one or more eccentric brakes. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The safety brake for an incline elevator of claim 1, wherein the center pin is swivelably mounted to the underside of a truck of a load carrying unit of the incline elevator. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The safety brake for an incline elevator of claim 1, wherein the safety brake further comprises: an uphill guide roller and a downhill guide roller, the uphill and downhill guide rollers being disposed on opposing ends of the bottom frame of the safety brake; a coil spring mount, the coil spring mount being a pin fixedly mounted to the bottom frame of the safety brake; and a coil spring, the coil spring being coupled to the coil spring mount, the coil spring coupled at the opposing end of the coil spring to a truck of a load carrying unit of the incline elevator, where the coil spring tensionally biases the swivelably mounted safety brake underneath the truck of the load carrying unit such that the uphill and downhill guide rollers engage opposing interior walls of a U-shaped track of the incline elevator. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The safety brake for an incline elevator of claim 1, further comprising: a hoist cable bell crank, the hoist cable bell crank being swivelably mounted on an axle of a truck of a load carrying unit of the incline elevator; a hoist cable bell crank spring, the hoist cable bell crank being tensionally biased by the hoist cable bell crank spring; a solenoid mounted to the hoist cable bell crank; and a hoist cable bell crank mount. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The safety brake for an incline elevator of claim 4, further comprising one or more speed sensors, the one or more speed sensors engaging a roller wheel of a truck of a load carrying unit of the incline elevator, the one or more speed sensors being electrically powered by a power source of the incline elevator, wherein the one or more speed sensors are in an electrical series circuit with the solenoid. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The safety brake for an incline elevator of claim 5, wherein the eccentric brakes retract when a hoist cable of the incline elevator mounted to the hoist cable bell crank mount has tension and the one or more speed sensors detect an underspeed condition. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The safety brake for an incline elevator of claim 5, wherein the eccentric brakes extend when a hoist cable of the incline elevator mounted to the hoist cable bell crank mount is not in tension, or the one or more speed sensors are not energized, or the one or more speed sensors detect an overspeed condition. ### Claim 8 A braking arrangement for an incline elevator, comprising: one or more eccentric brakes swivelably mounted to a cab of the incline elevator; and one or more braking arrangements, the one or more braking arrangements configured to at least: extend the one or more eccentric brakes at least upon a fault in the incline elevator; and retract the one or more eccentric brakes at least upon the cab docking at one or more docking targets of the incline elevator. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The braking arrangement for an incline elevator of claim 8, wherein the fault may include a power failure. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The braking arrangement for an incline elevator of claim 8, wherein the one or more braking arrangements comprise: one or more braking arrangements including at least one or more speed sensors electrically coupled with the one or more eccentric brakes, the one or more braking arrangements configured to at least extend the one or more eccentric brakes at least upon at least one speed sensor detecting an overspeed condition. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The braking arrangement for an incline elevator of claim 8, wherein the one or more braking arrangements comprise: one or more braking arrangements configured at least to detect an overspeed condition and to detect a break in a hoist cable, the one or more braking arrangements configured to at least extend all of the one or more eccentric brakes at least upon one or more of an overspeed condition being detected or a break in a hoist cable being detected. ### Claim 12 A braking arrangement for an incline elevator, comprising: means for braking a cab of the incline elevator responsive to a fault in the incline elevator; and means for overriding the means for braking the cab responsive to the cab entering a docking target of the incline elevator. ### Claim 13 A braking arrangement for an incline elevator, comprising: circuitry for extending one or more eccentric brakes of the incline elevator; circuitry for retracting the one or more eccentric brakes of the incline elevator; and circuitry for resetting the one or more eccentric brakes of the incline elevator; wherein at least one of retracting or resetting the one or more eccentric brakes of the incline elevator is responsive to the incline elevator entering a docking target. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The braking arrangement for an incline elevator of claim 13, further comprising: a mechanical arrangement for retracting the one or more eccentric brakes of the incline elevator, the mechanical arrangement configured at least to override the circuitry for controlling one or more eccentric brakes of the incline elevator when a cab of the incline elevator docks at a docking target. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The braking arrangement for an incline elevator of claim 13, further comprising: a mechanical arrangement for extending the one or more eccentric brakes of the incline elevator, the mechanical arrangement configured at least to extend the one or more eccentric brakes of the incline elevator upon the circuitry for controlling one or more eccentric brakes of the incline elevator being de-energized. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The braking arrangement for an incline elevator of claim 13, wherein the circuitry for controlling one or more eccentric brakes of the incline elevator comprises: circuitry for extending the one or more eccentric brakes of the incline elevator at least upon an overspeed condition being detected. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The braking arrangement for an incline elevator of claim 16, further comprising: one or more solenoids, the one or more solenoids configured to at least partially control the one or more eccentric brakes of the incline elevator, the one or more solenoids in series with the circuitry for extending the one or more eccentric brakes of the incline elevator at least upon an overspeed condition being detected. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The braking arrangement for an incline elevator of claim 13, further comprising: one or more solenoids springably swivelably mounted to a cab of the incline elevator, the one or more solenoids coupled with a hoist cable of the incline elevator, wherein a break in the hoist cable causes the one or more solenoids to springably rotate, the rotation causing the one or more solenoids to disengage from the one or more eccentric brakes. ### Claim 19 A method of controlling one or more eccentric brakes of an incline elevator, comprising: monitoring the incline elevator for all of an overspeed condition, a break in a hoist cable, and a power failure, wherein the monitoring is at least partially implemented using circuitry, and, if any of an overspeed condition, a break in a hoist cable, or a power failure occur, extending the one or more eccentric brakes of the incline elevator; and retracting the one or more eccentric brakes of the incline elevator in response to a cab of the incline elevator docking at a docking target of the incline elevator. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The method of claim 19, wherein the retracting the one or more eccentric brakes of the incline elevator further comprises maintaining the one or more eccentric brakes of the incline elevator in a retracted state upon departure from the docking target. ### Claim 21 (depends on 19) The method of claim 19, wherein the circuitry includes at least one mechanical indicator of an overspeed condition, a break in a hoist cable, and a power failure.