ELEVATOR

Abstract

 An elevator (1) comprises car guide rails (7) and a car (2), which is vertically movable along the car guide rails (7) in a shaft (3), and counterweight guide rails (8) and a counterweight (4), which is vertically movable along the counterweight guide rails (8) in the shaft (3). The travel path has a main guide area (13) and above the main guide area (13) an upper end guide area (14) at the top (19) of the shaft (3) and a lower end guide area (12) at the bottom (18) of the shaft (3). The car guide rail (7) and/or the counterweight guide rail (8) is, in relation to the vertical travel direction of the car or counterweight, divided into a plurality of guide rail parts (20, 21), whereas some guide rail parts (20) are assigned to the main guide area (14) and guide rail parts (21) are assigned to the end guide areas (12, 14). The guide rail parts (20) in the main guide area (13) are configured as hollow profiles. The guide rail parts (21) in the upper and lower end area (12, 14) are designed as solid-shaped rail profiles.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to an elevator for conveying persons or goods according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0002] An elevator comprises an elevator car and a counterweight movable in opposite vertical directions along an elevator shaft. The car and the counterweight ride with guide shoes along guide rails. The elevator car and the counterweight are interconnected and supported by suspension means normally in the form of wire ropes or belts. Elevators are preferably equipped with a separate pair of guide rails mounted in the elevator shaft for each of the elevator car and the counterweight to guarantee the safe and independent run of the elevator car and the counterweight. The respective guide rails (i.e. car guide rails for guiding the car, counterweight guide rails for guiding the counterweight) and guide shoes are used for guiding of the car or counterweight throughout the entire shaft. Each guide rail defines a guiding line along a travel path. Each guide rail normally is assembled from a plurality of similar guide rail parts arranged in the line and adjoining each other.

[0003] A guide rail comprising different guide rail parts has become known from JP 55-160370 U. In here a guide rail is shown having two different T rails adjoining each other whereas the front faces of the guide rail parts are flushly fitted. The guide rail parts are solid profiles and mainly differ in the heights of their rail webs. The material costs are comparatively high. A further disadvantage is that the connection of the different guide rail parts in order to achieve the flush transition at the front faces can be challenging.

[0004] It is accordingly an object of the present invention to avoid the disadvantages of the prior art and, in particular, to create an elevator of the kind stated in the introduction having cost effective and customizable guide rails. Moreover, the guide rail shall be able to be installed simply and efficiently in the shaft.

[0005] According to the invention these objects are fulfilled by the elevator with the features of claim 1. The elevator for conveying persons or goods comprises at least one car guide rail and a car, which is vertically movable along said at least one car guide rail in a shaft. Further, the elevator comprises at least one counterweight guide rail and a counterweight, which is vertically movable along said at least one counterweight guide rail in the shaft. Due to the fact that the at least one car guide rail comprises at least one guide rail part which is configured as a solid profile and at least one guide rail part which is designed as a hollow profile an economic guide rail arrangement having a tailored load-bearing capacity can be reached. Additional or alternatively the counterweight guide rail is designed in such manner that it comprises at least one guide rail part which is configured as a solid profile and at least one guide rail part which is designed as a hollow profile. This arrangement results in a significant weight reduction. The material costs for the guide rail also can be reduced to a very considerable extent.

[0006] In a first form of embodiment the elevator comprises at least one car guide rail and preferably a pair of car guide rails and a car, which is vertically movable along said at least one car guide rail in the shaft, and at least one counterweight guide rail and preferably a pair of counterweight guide rails and a counterweight, which is vertically movable along said at least one counterweight guide rail in the shaft. The car and the counterweight are preferably connected by suspension means preferably guided over at least one deflecting roller unit. A travel path of the car or of the counterweight has a main guide area and above the main guide area an upper end guide area at the top of the shaft and a lower end guide area at the bottom of the shaft. The main guide area adjoins the lower end guide area at the bottom of the shaft which is also known as the shaft pit. The upper end guide area is allocated to the top of the shaft which is also known as the shaft head. The upper end guide area adjoins the main guide area. So, the main guide area is positioned between the lower and upper end guide areas. The car guide rail and/or the counterweight guide rail is, in relation to the vertical travel direction of the car or counterweight, divided into a plurality of above mentioned guide rail parts, whereas at least one guide rail part is assigned to the main guide area and guide rail parts are assigned to the end guide areas. So the at least one guide rail part assigned to the main guide area on the one side and the guide rail part assigned to the upper end area and/or to the lower end area on the other side are designed differently from one another.

[0007] The at least one guide rail part in the main guide area is designed as a hollow profile and the guide rail parts in the upper end area or lower end area is or are configured as a solid profile or as solid profiles. Thanks to the beneficial combination of hollow profiles and solid profiles the overall weight of the guide rail can be significantly reduced without diminishing the mechanical resistance and stability. The guide rails can bear all the system loads transmitted by or through the car guide shoes or the counterweight guide shoes and emergency guide elements. The guide shoe loads which can be higher in the upper end area or in the lower end area due to car or counterweight buffer impact can be absorbed by the stable solid profiles. The hollow profiles for the main guide area are available at a reasonable price. The guide shoe loads in the main guide areas are comparatively lower. Due to the fixed geometry and strength of the guide rails and guide shoes, the guide rail parts can be selected based on the estimated loads in the system. The skilled person may choose for the main guide area, however, sufficiently strong hollow profiles in order to ensure a safe emergency stop of the car without structural alterations in the hollow profile due to the impact by the safety device.

[0008] Moreover, it can be advantageous if the car and/or the counterweight is/are provided with at least one guide shoe running along a respective car guide rail. Said at least one guide shoe is designed such that it runs along a respective car or counterweight guide rail in the main guide area as well as in the upper end guide area and in the lower end guide area.

[0009] Preferably with respect to the guide sections cooperating with the sliding guide shoe, at least one guide rail part assigned to the main guide region may, with respect to its front face, inwardly project beyond the guide rail part assigned to the upper or lower end region, so that a step facing an opposing shaft wall is subsequently formed in an interface area between said guide rail parts.

[0010] It can be particularly advantageous if, preferably with respect to the guide sections cooperating with the sliding guide shoes, the at least one guide rail part assigned to the upper or lower end region inwardly, with respect to its front face, projects beyond the guide rail part assigned to the main guide region, so that a step facing an opposing shaft wall is subsequently formed in an interface area between said guide rail parts.

[0011] Furthermore, the at least one guide rail part assigned to the main guide area may, with respect to the guide sections of the guide rails cooperating with the sliding guide shoes, be wider than the guide rail part assigned to the upper or lower end area. In this manner, overall excellent guiding characteristics of the guide rail can be achieved.

[0012] In a further form of embodiment the at least one guide rail part assigned to the upper or lower end area is a T-shaped rail profile preferably having a rail base for mounting to a shaft wall and a rail web defining the guide section for interaction with the sliding guide shoe.

[0013] It can be advantageous if the guide rail part assigned to the main guide area is a U-shaped hollow rail profile. However, other profile forms such as a triangular profile would obviously also be conceivable.

[0014] A further aspect of the invention relates to a sliding guide shoe for the before described elevator. The sliding guide shoe comprises a guide shoe housing and an insert, which is inserted or insertable into the guide shoe housing, for guiding the car or the counterweight along the guide rail extending in the travel direction. The insert comprises a recess for receiving the guide rail, wherein the recess is composed of two rectangular cross-section regions with different widths.

[0015] Above mentioned insert of the guide shoe may have a recess for receiving the guide rail whereas the recess comprises a first rectangular cross-section region and a subsequent second rectangular cross-section region. The second rectangular cross-section region is recessed with respect to the first rectangular cross-section region and the second rectangular cross-section region has a smaller groove width than the first rectangular cross-section region.

[0016] The sliding guide shoe may comprise an insert which is formed as an integral and monolithic component whereas the insert preferably consists of a non-metallic material and particularly of plastics material. Such an insert can be manufactured easily and economically and can be adapted to a wide range of needs.

[0017] Further advantages and individual features are evident from the following description, from embodiments and from the drawings, in which:

Fig. 1

shows a schematic illustration of an elevator with a car and a counter-weight, in a side view,

Fig. 2

shows a simplified illustration of an elevator, whereas the car as well as the the counterweight are guided at guide rails by way of sliding guide shoes, in a plan view,

Fig. 2a

shows an enlarged detail display of a car guide rail and an associated sliding guide shoe of the elevator of Fig. 2 (Detail A from Fig. 2),

Fig. 3

shows a perspective, exploded illustration of a guide arrangement comprising two adjoining guide rail parts of a car guide rail and a sliding guide shoe for the elevator according to the invention,

Fig. 4

shows the guide arrangement according to Fig. 3, in the assembled condition, and

Fig. 5

shows the sliding guide shoe of Figs. 3, 4 from a different perspective and slightly enlarged.

[0018] An elevator 1 comprises, as illustrated in Fig. 1 by way of example, an elevator car 2 which is arranged in an elevator shaft 3 in a building to be movable along a substantially vertical axis. The car 2 is used primarily for the movement of persons and/or goods. The car 2 is, in the illustrated example, connected with a counterweight 4 by suspension means 5. Suspension means 5 for supporting the car 2 and the counterweight 4 can be belts or several belts. Obviously, however, other support means, for example in the form of cables, are also conceivable. The elevator car 2 and the counterweight 4 are connected by said suspension means 5 guided over deflecting units 15, 16, 17. In the present example, the suspension means 5 suspend the car 2 in the form of an underslung in a 2:1 suspension and the suspension means 5 are looped around the car 2 by deflection units 15, 16. The deflecting unit 17 of the counterweight 4 is arranged on the upper side of the counterweight 4. Further, other suspension variants (for example 4:1, etc.) would obviously also be conceivable.

[0019] The car 2 is vertically movable along car guide rails 7 in the shaft 3. The counterweight 4 is vertically movable along counterweight guide rails 8 in the shaft 3. The car guide rails 7 are, in relation to the vertical travel direction of the car 2, segmented in three areas. A main guide area, which is denoted overall by 13, complies, in general, with the predominant travel path and covers all storeys of the building. Above the main guide area 13 adjoins an upper end guide area 14 at the top of the shaft 3. Below the main guide area 13 adjoins a lower end guide area 12 at the bottom of the shaft 3. The lower end guide area 12 and the upper end guide area 14 refer to relatively short vertical areas which are subjected to influences specifically occurring at the bottom 18 of the shaft 3, also known as shaft pit, and at the top 19 of the shaft 3 (shaft head). Just like the car guide rails 7, the counterweight guide rails 8 are, in relation to the vertical travel direction of the car 2, also segmented in three areas, namely the lower end guide area 12, the main guide area 13 and the upper end guide area 14. As described later, the guide rails 7, 8 are designed differently in the main guide area 13 on the one hand and in the end guide areas 12, 14 on the other hand.

[0020] For moving the car 2 and the counterweight 4 use is made of a drive 6, for example a drive-pulley drive, which, for example, is arranged in a separate engine room in the region of the shaft head of the shaft 3. The specific guide arrangement comprising the guide rails 7, 8 described in more detail in the following would obviously also be suitable for other elevators and, in particular, also for so-called engine-room-less elevators.

[0021] In the bottom 18 of the shaft 3 two buffers 34, 35 are arranged. The first buffer 34 is used to stop the car 2 at the shaft pit. The second buffer 35 which cooperates with the counterweight 4 is used to stop the car 2 at the shaft head.

[0022] The vertical extension of the lower end guide area 12 and the upper end guide area 14 may be respectively 1 m to 3 m. The vertical extension of the main guide area 13 can be a multiple of the one from the lower or upper end guide area 12, 14.

[0023] Fig. 2 shows an elevator 1 seen from the top. The car 2 is vertically guided at two car guide rails 7 in the shaft 3 to be movable up and down. The counterweight 4 is vertically guided at two counterweight guide rails 8 in the shaft 3 to be movable up and down. The car 2 is provided on each side with at least one guide shoe 10 running along the respective car guide rail 7. The guide shoe running along the counterweight guide rail 8 is denoted by 11. Usually, the car 2 as well as the counterweight 4 each comprise two guide shoes 10 at each side. In Fig. 2a some specific aspects of the new guide arrangement for guiding the car 2 can be obtained. However, the guide arrangement for the counterweight 4 can be identical or similar to the one car 2. It would even be feasible to provide only the counterweight 4 with such a specific guide arrangement.

[0024] As can be seen from Fig. 2a, the car guide rail 7 is a combination of different rail parts. The rail part 20 is configured as a solid T-shaped rail profile. This guide rail part 20 is assigned to the end areas 12, 14. The other rail part 21 is designed as a hollow profile and is assigned to the main guide area 13. Depending on the height of the building and the amount of storeys, it would be self-evident using several such rail parts 21 to assemble the car guide rail 7 in the main guide area 13. In the embodiment according to Fig. 2/2a said rail part 21 is a U-shaped hollow rail profile.

[0025] The guide rail part 20, with respect to its front face, projects beyond the guide rail part 21. The front face of the guide rail part 20 is denoted with "22". The front face of the guide rail part 21 is denoted with "23".

[0026] The sliding guide shoe 10 comprises a guide shoe housing 26 and an insert 27, which is inserted into the guide shoe housing 26. The guide shoe housing 26 comprises an U-shaped bent metal part having a channel-like rail receptacle 32 in which the insert 27 is inserted and mounting arms 33 for mounting the guide shoe to the car or to the counterweight. The insert 27 has a recess 28 for receiving the guide rail 7, wherein the recess 28 is composed of two rectangular cross-section regions with different widths. The recess 28 for receiving the guide rail 7 comprises a first rectangular cross-section region and a subsequent second rectangular cross-section region, wherein the second rectangular cross-section region is recessed with respect to the first rectangular cross-section region and the second rectangular cross-section region has a smaller groove width than the first region rectangular cross-section region. The insert is formed as an integral and monolithic component. The insert 27 preferably consist of a plastics material characterized by a low coefficient of friction (PTFE, UHMW-PE, etc.).

[0027] Details with respect to one possible constructional embodiment of the guide arrangement for guiding the elevator car 2 and/or the counterweight 4 according to the invention are evident from Figures 3 and 4. Fig. 3 shows guide arrangement comprising two adjoining guide rail parts 20, 21 of a car guide rail 7 and a sliding guide shoe 10 for the car 2. However, this guide arrangement may apply equally or similarly to the guide arrangement for guiding the counterweight 4.

[0028] The lower guide rail part 20 which is assigned to the lower end guide area 12 is a T-shaped rail profile having a rail base 24 for mounting to the (not shown) shaft wall and a rail web 25 defining the guide section for interaction with the sliding guide shoe 10. On top of the guide rail part 20 which is designed as a solid profile the guide rail part 21 adjoins. The guide shoe loads which can be higher in the upper end area or in the lower end area due to car or counterweight buffer impact can be absorbed by the stable solid profile 20. The guide rail part 21 is designed as a hollow profile. The guide rail parts 20 and 21 are mounted and fixed using screws on a connecting plate 29. The connecting plate 29 can be directly mounted on the shaft wall or mounted on brackets. So, in the latter case the connecting plate 29 would be indirectly mounted on the shaft wall.

[0029] As evident from Fig. 4, the guide rail part 20 inwardly projects beyond the guide rail part 21, so that a step facing an opposing shaft wall is subsequently formed in the interface area between these guide rail parts 20, 21. The front face 22 of the guide rail part 20 is arranged inwardly from the front face 23 of the guide rail part 21 and thus creates said step. The guide shoe 10 provides for running along the car guide rail 7 in the main guide area as well as in the lower end guide area. Therefore, the insert has a specially contoured recess 28 for receiving both guide rail parts 20, 21 of the guide rail 7.

[0030] Constructive characteristics of the sliding guide shoe 10 can be seen in Fig. 5. The before mentioned specially contoured recess 28 is composed of two rectangular cross-section regions with different widths B1, B2. A first rectangular cross-section region of the recess 28 is defined by the width B1. A subsequent second rectangular cross-section region of the recess 28 is defined by the width B2. This second rectangular cross-section region is recessed with respect to the first rectangular cross-section region. The second rectangular cross-section region has a smaller groove width B2 than the first region rectangular cross-section region B1. The other length of the rectangular cross-section region having the width B2 corresponds with the step facing an opposing shaft wall between the guide rail parts 20, 21.

Claims

1. An elevator (1) for conveying persons or goods comprising at least one car guide rail (7) and a car (2), which is vertically movable along said at least one car guide rail (7) in a shaft (3), and at least one counterweight guide rail (8) and a counterweight (4), which is vertically movable along said at least one counterweight guide rail (8) in the shaft (3), characterized in that, the car guide rail (7) and/or the counterweight guide rail (8) comprising at least one guide rail part (21) which is configured as a solid profile and at least one guide rail part (20) which is designed as a hollow profile.

2. An elevator (1) according to Claim 1, characterized in that a respective travel path of the car (2) and/or of the counterweight (4) having a main guide area (13) and the travel path having above the main guide area (13) an upper end guide area (14) at the top (19) of the shaft (3) and a lower end guide area (12) at the bottom (18) of the shaft (3), whereas the at least one guide rail part (20) which is designed as a hollow profile is assigned to the main guide area (13) and the at least one guide rail part (21) which is configured as a solid profile is assigned to the lower end guide area (12) or to the upper end area (14).

3. Elevator according to Claim 2, characterized in that the car (2) is provided with at least one guide shoe (10), whereas the guide shoe (10) being adopted running along a respective car guide rail (7) in the main guide area (13) as well as in the upper end guide area (14) and in the lower end guide area (12), or
the counterweight (4) is provided with at least one guide shoe (11), whereas the guide shoe (11) being adopted running along a respective counterweight guide rail (8) in the main guide area (13) as well as in the upper end guide area (14) and in the lower end guide area (12).

4. Elevator according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the at least one guide rail part (21) assigned to the upper or lower end region (12, 14) projects, with respect to its front face, beyond the guide rail part (20) assigned to the main guide region (13).

5. Elevator according to one of the claims 2 - 4, characterized in that, with respect to the guide sections, the at least one guide rail part (20) assigned to the main guide area (13) is wider than the at least one guide rail part (21) assigned to the upper or lower end area (12, 14).

6. Elevator according to one of the claims 2 - 5, characterized in that the at least one guide rail part (21) assigned to the upper or lower end area (12, 14) is a T-shaped rail profile having a rail web (25) defining the guide section for interaction with the sliding guide shoe (10).

7. Elevator according to one of the claims 2 - 6, characterized in that the guide rail part (21) assigned to the main guide area (13) is a U-shaped hollow rail profile.

8. A sliding guide shoe (10, 11) for an elevator (1) according to one of the proceeding claims, the sliding guide shoe (10, 11) comprising a guide shoe housing (26) and an insert (27), which is inserted or insertable into the guide shoe housing (26), for guiding the car (2) or the counterweight (4) along a guide rail (7, 8), wherein the insert (27) having a recess (28) for receiving the guide rail (7, 8), wherein the recess (28) is composed of two rectangular cross-section regions with different widths (B1, B2).

9. A sliding guide shoe (10, 11) according to claim 8, characterized in that the recess (28) for receiving the guide rail (7, 8) comprises a first rectangular cross-section region and a subsequent second rectangular cross-section region, wherein the second rectangular cross-section region is recessed with respect to the first rectangular cross-section region and the second rectangular cross-section region has a smaller groove width than the first region rectangular cross-section region.

10. A sliding guide shoe (10, 11) according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that the insert (27) is formed as an integral and monolithic component, the insert (27) preferably consists of a non-metallic material and particularly of plastics material.

Drawing