Rotating Elevator

Abstract

 The invention concerns an elevator (1), for vertical transport between floors, in a building or the like, permitting the passengers to enter and exit from different directions in the horizontal plane, comprising a rotatably supported elevator car (4) comprising at least one elevator car door (8,9,18,19) and a means for opening and closing at least one elevator car door (11,17), a means for lifting and lowering said elevator car (26), and a means for rotating said elevator car (6).

Description

Field of invention

[0001] The present invention relates to an elevator for vertical transport between floors, in a building or the like, permitting the passengers to enter and exit from different directions in the horizontal plane.

Background of invention

[0002] Elevators are essential facilities in modern day buildings. More advanced constructions of elevators are continuously needed to meet citizens need. Taking handicapped people, disabled users, senior citizens, and particular wheel chair users into account, elevator designs pose a great challenge for elevator designers. In conventional elevator designs the elevator car is typically formed as a box inside an elevator housing with a rectangular horizontal cross section, which limits the movement of the elevator car to a vertical movement. In addition, the elevator doors in these conventional elevators typically includes several sliding elements, arranged in a relatively complicated mechanism, whereby sliding of the elevator doors is performed by straight movements from their open to close positions.

[0003] Cylindrical shaped elevators, including cylindrical shaped elevator car doors, exist as well, as for instance disclosed in EP 1 508 546 A1. Here a method for opening the cylindrical shaped elevator car doors, using a driving pulley, rollers, and several pivotally coupled arms to drive the elevators doors, is described.

[0004] Another known solution is disclosed in WO 00/07922, where cylindrical shaped elevator doors are moved using one linearly displaceable actuator pivotally connected to the elevator car doors.

[0005] However, the type of mechanisms described in EP 1 508 546 A1 and WO 00/07922 have several drawbacks. For instance, the actuators used to move the elevator doors are constructed of many parts which will need more maintenance compared to actuators constructed of fewer parts. Further, in the above mentioned references, rotation is not described. Furthermore, in the references cited, there is no disclosure of both elevator car doors and elevator housing doors, a security factor which has high importance for elevators.

[0006] A cylindrical elevator, which can rotate around its vertical axis, is disclosed in JP 2001-206665. The described elevator is lifted or lowered while being rotated in an elevator shaft having a square horizontal cross section.

Summary of invention

[0007] It is an object for the invention to provide an elevator, where an elevator car is lifted or lowered, constructed such that the elevator car can rotate around its vertical center axis while moving between floors, or while located at a specific floor, and by this rotating motion the elevator car can fit into different doors, having different directions in the horizontal plane, at the designated floor selected by the passengers. By this described rotating motion, the passengers of the elevator gain several benefits, for instance wheel chair users can exit through a door better suited to their needs. In addition, doors, having different directions in the horizontal plane, at a specific floor, can lead into separate compartments, and these compartments can be reached using a rotating elevator car with a single door, this is not possible for a non-rotating elevator car with a single door. In the case, where the elevator car has several doors, there are even more transporting possibilities including different options for entrance and exit directions.

[0008] The invention has potentially uses in both low and tall buildings, such as sky scrapers, where the rotation means allows the elevator to reach more doorways than conventionally non-rotating elevators. Therefore fewer elevators are needed implying reduced construction costs and, at the same time, less space in the building is needed for the elevator.

[0009] The object is achieved by an elevator, for vertical transport between floors, comprising a rotably supported elevator car, an elevator housing, a plurality of support columns comprising a means for lifting and lowering the elevator car, a means for rotating the elevator car mounted in a basis anchored to the support columns, at least one elevator car door, a means comprising linear actuators for opening and closing at least one elevator car door, at least one elevator housing door, a means comprising linear actuators for opening and closing at least one elevator housing door, and anti-fall equipment, wherein the elevator car and/or the elevator housing have a cylindrical shape, and at least one elevator car door and/or at least one elevator housing door have a cylindrical curved shape, and the door opening and closing means is connected to a set of elevator car doors and elevator housing doors, and the plurality of support columns comprises a rack and gear drive means (rack and pinion) and a power supply to the elevator car.

[0010] In preferred embodiment of the elevator, the elevator car and the elevator housing have a cylindrical shape; however other shapes and combination of shapes are possible for the elevator car, the elevator housing or both, including shapes with rectangular, elliptical, triangular or other polygonal horizontal cross sections, such as for instance a hexagonal cross section. In general, the elevator car could be formed as a sphere, a cone, a polyhedron, such as a pyramid, or as a combination of three-dimensional objects. Further, in a preferred embodiment, the elevator has a plurality of elevator cars in serial and parallel. Furthermore, in a preferred embodiment, the vertical and rotational motion is combined with horizontal motion to form a transportation system which covers horizontal and vertical directions. Further, in a preferred embodiment, the elevator car follows a non-linear path in a tube-like elevator housing, provided there are no 'kinks' in the path. In the same line of thought, an elevator, moving in the direction along a given angle with respect to the vertical direction is a possibility in a preferred embodiment. Furthermore, in a preferred embodiment, the elevator comprises spiral or helical motion.

[0011] In preferred embodiment of the elevator, the elevator housing is a single side of a building, for instance a convex or concave side, with several floors and elevator housing doors, for instance more than one door on each floor, i.e. the building is related to the elevator car much like a launch pad is related to a rocket. In another preferred embodiment of the elevator, the elevator housing is a plurality of building sides, for instance a sandwich construction with the elevator car in the middle. In another preferred embodiment of the elevator, the elevator housing is an elevator shaft.

[0012] In another preferred embodiment, the elevator has an elevator car comprising two quarter circle elevator car doorways, located 180 degrees from each other, and an elevator housing comprising up to four quarter circle doorways at each floor. In this embodiment, the passengers are able to exit to four different directions in the horizontal plane, made possible with either no rotation or a 90 degrees rotation. Further, in this embodiment, a wheel chair user can enter forwards through one doorway and leave forwards through another doorway, without having to turn the wheel chair.

[0013] In another preferred embodiment of the elevator, a plurality of the elevator car doors and the elevator housing doors are cylindrically shaped and moves along a curved path, such as a circular or elliptical path, which eliminates the need for extra space and complicated movement, which normally is required for elevators with straight moving doors. In a preferred embodiment, a plurality of the elevator car doors and the elevator housing doors are door panels, such as sliding panels, which optionally meet in the middle of the doorway.

[0014] In another preferred embodiment, the elevator has a cylindrical shaped elevator housing comprising cylindrical shaped elevator housing doors and these elevator housing doors are opened and closed by linear actuators also used for opening and closing elevator car doors, or the other way around. In a preferred embodiment, the elevator car doors and the elevator housing doors are cooperatively moved by linear actuators, in which movement, the linear actuators move the elevator car doors, which in turn move the elevator housing doors. In a preferred embodiment of the elevator, the elevator car doors and the elevator housing doors open and close with the same angular velocity. In another preferred embodiment of the elevator, the elevator car doors and the elevator housing doors open and close simultaneously.

[0015] In another preferred embodiment of the elevator, the cylindrical shaped elevator car has two doorways opposite each other, which are controlled by two linear actuators that open or close four cylindrical shaped elevator car doors, guided in sliding frames, into the elevator car's wall, which is a double skinned wall. The movement of the elevator car doors is relatively simple because the displacement occurs along a curved path, and therefore the elevator car doors are more easily constructed than straight panel doors, which have many parts.

[0016] In a preferred embodiment of the elevator, a door opening means, such as actuators are mounted in the ceiling of the elevator car, however, there are numerous other possibilities for mounting the door opening means, such as on the top of the elevator car, underneath the elevator car, as a part of the elevator doors, or as a part of the elevator housing.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment of the elevator, the elevator car doors and the elevator housing doors are cylindrical shaped, however the elevator car doors and the elevator housing doors are likely to have other shapes, even if the shapes are not the same as the shape of the elevator car or the shape of the elevator housing, for instance a cylindrical shaped elevator housing could have straight door panels.

[0018] In a preferred embodiment of the elevator, the elevator is partly constructed of transparent elements, such as glass, to give the passengers a more interesting lifting experience. Further, in a preferred embodiment, equipment, for aiding disabled people, is installed in the elevator, such as loud speakers or LED displays to announce the status for the elevator, for instance the floor number.

[0019] In another preferred embodiment of the elevator, the elevator car is either centrally or non-centrally supported.

[0020] In another preferred embodiment of the elevator, the elevator car is supported by two columns; the first column contains a rack and a gear drive means (Rack and pinion), the second column contains power supply and support for the elevator car.

[0021] In another preferred embodiment of the elevator, the elevator has anti-fall equipment installed.

Brief description of drawings

[0022] The invention is disclosed in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

figure 1

is a perspective view of the elevator according to a preferred embodiment of the invention,

figure 2

is a perspective cut away view of the elevator in fig. 1, showing a lifting mechanism in support columns.

figure 3

is a cross section view of the elevator in fig. 1, showing a preferred embodiment of the suspension point and rotating means.

figure 4

is a cross section view of the elevator in fig. 1, showing a preferred embodiment of actuators for opening and closing elevator doors.

figure 5

is a cross section top view of the lifting mechanism using double helical gears in a support column, and

figures 6.1-6.13

a sequence of schematic top views illustrating how an elevator according to an embodiment of the invention can work.

Description of a preferred embodiment

[0023] With reference to the figures 1 to 6.1, the elevator 1 comprises an elevator car 4 supported by a basis 2 which is anchored to two support columns 3 with lifting mechanisms 5 comprising racks 24, an electric motor 26, double helical gears 25, 27, rollers for support and guiding 28, 29, and a protection means 30, such as brushes. In the basis 2, a rotating means 6, such as an electric motor, is connected to the elevator car 4 through a supporting anchor point 7 which allows rotation. Cylindrical curved first 8, second 9, third 18, and fourth 19 elevator car doors, slidably mounted in a double skinned wall 16, are opened or closed by first 11 and second 17 linear actuators that act through door locks 10, such as electromagnetic locks. The elevator car is inside a cylindrical shaped elevator housing 14, which is stationary constructed or moveable with the elevator car, which elevator housing comprises cylindrical shaped first 12, second 13, third 22, and fourth 23 elevator housing doors.

[0024] With reference to figure 4, the first actuator 11 is connected to the first 8 and fourth 19 elevator car door and the second actuator 17 is connected to the second 9 and third 18 elevator car door.

[0025] In a preferred embodiment of the elevator, the first 12 and second 13 elevator housing door are opened or closed by a connection to, respectively, the first 8 and second 9 elevator car door, in such a way that the first actuator 11 opens or closes both the first elevator car door 8 and the first elevator housing door 12 and, likewise, the second actuator 17 opens or closes both the second elevator car door 9 and second elevator housing door 13. Similarly, the third 22 and fourth 23 elevator housing door are opened by a connected to, respectively, the third 18 and fourth 19 elevator car door.

[0026] In another preferred embodiment, the first 11 and second 17 actuators secure that the first 8 and second 9 elevator car door are always closed when the third 18 and fourth 19 elevator car door are open and the other way around.

[0027] In the sequence of figures 6.1 to 6.13 is shown, how an elevator according to the invention may work:

In figure 6.1

the elevator has first 8, second 9, third 18, and fourth 19 elevator car doors and first 12, second 13, third 22, and fourth 23 elevator housing doors. A wheel chair user 15 on a specific floor activates a control button to call the elevator car to the floor where the wheel chair user is waiting.

In figure 6.2

the elevator has arrived to the floor where the wheel chair user is waiting. The first and second elevator car door and the first and second elevator housing door are halfway opened.

In figure 6.3

the first and second elevator car door and the first and second elevator housing door are fully opened.

In figure 6.4

the wheel chair user has entered the elevator car.

In figure 6.5

the first and second elevator car door and the first and second elevator housing door are halfway closed.

In figure 6.6

the first and second elevator car door and the first and second elevator housing door are fully closed. The wheel chair user selects a destination floor.

In figure 6.7

the elevator has moved in the vertical direction and rotated 45 degrees counter clockwise around its vertical axis

In figure 6.8

the elevator has moved further in the vertical direction, has rotated another 45 degrees counter clockwise around its vertical axis, and has arrived at the destination floor.

In figure 6.9

the elevator is at the destination floor and the third and fourth elevator car door and the third and fourth elevator housing door are halfway opened.

In figure 6.1

0 the elevator is at the destination floor and the third and fourth elevator car door and the third and fourth elevator housing door are fully opened.

In figure 6.11

the elevator is at the destination floor and the wheel chair user has left the elevator car.

In figure 6.12the

elevator is at the destination floor and the third and fourth elevator car door and the third and fourth elevator housing door are halfway closed.

In figure 6.13the

elevator is at the destination floor and the third and fourth elevator car door and the third and fourth elevator housing door are fully closed.

[0028] While specific and preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail above to illustrate the inventive principles, it will be understood that variants to these embodiments may be provided without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the accompanying claims.

Claims

1. An elevator, for vertical transport between floors, in a building or the like, permitting the passengers to enter and exit from different directions in the horizontal plane, comprising

a rotatably supported elevator car comprising at least one elevator car door and a means for opening and closing at least one elevator car door;

a means for lifting and lowering said elevator car, and

a means for rotating said elevator car.

2. An elevator according to claim 1, further comprising an elevator housing, such as an elevator shaft, with at least one elevator housing door and a means for opening and closing at least one elevator housing door.

3. An elevator according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the elevator car and/or the elevator housing have a cylindrical shape.

4. An elevator according to any of the preceding claims, wherein at least one elevator car door and/or at least one elevator housing door have a cylindrically curved shape.

5. An elevator according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the means for opening and closing the plurality of elevator car doors and elevator housing doors comprises actuators, preferable linear actuators.

6. An elevator according to any of the preceding claims, wherein at least one set of doors is formed by a plurality of elevator car doors, so that the set of doors is cooperatively movable, preferable when the elevator car is at a specific floor.

7. An elevator according to claim 6, wherein the set of doors further comprises adjacent elevator housing doors.

8. An elevator according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the elevator comprises a first elevator door with a first and second set of doors, and a second elevator door with a third and fourth set of doors.

9. An elevator according to claim 8, wherein the first set of doors is connected to the fourth set of doors by a first opening and closing means and the second set of doors is connected to the third set of doors by a second opening and closing means.

10. An elevator according to claims 8 and 9, wherein the said first and second opening and closing means secure that the first door is always closed when the second door is open and the other way around.

11. An elevator according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the opening and closing means is mounted in/on the elevator car.

12. An elevator according to any of the preceding claims, furthermore comprising a plurality of support columns, preferable two support columns.

13. An elevator according to claim 12, wherein a first support column comprises a rack and a gear drive means, such as a rack and pinion drive, and a second support column comprise power supply to the elevator car.

14. An elevator according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the means for rotating the elevator car is mounted in a basis anchored to the support columns.

15. An elevator according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the means for rotating the elevator car comprises an electric motor.

16. An elevator according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the elevator car is rotated a specific angle between a start floor and a destination floor, preferably 0, 90, 120, 180, 240 or 270 degrees.

17. An elevator according to any of the preceding claims, furthermore comprising anti-fall equipment.

Drawing