EP1710191B1

EP1710191B1 - Elevator system

Info

Publication number: EP1710191B1
Application number: EP04706793A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Atsushi Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha MITSUI; Shiroh Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha IKEDA
Original assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corp
Current assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corp
Priority date: 2004-01-30
Filing date: 2004-01-30
Publication date: 2011-10-26
Anticipated expiration: 2024-01-30
Also published as: WO2005073120A1; CN100522782C; EP1710191A4; JPWO2005073120A1; CN1723167A; EP1710191A1

Abstract

An elevator system in which shaft devices requiring maintenance/inspection work are disposed at an upper part in the elevator shaft. At the upper part in the elevator shaft, an access platform serving as a scaffold for performing maintenance/inspection work of the shaft devices is disposed. The access platform is disposed to avoid interference with the car when the car moves to the top movement position in the shaft and to overlap with the car in the vertical projection plane.

Description

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an elevator apparatus in which hoistway equipment requiring maintenance and inspection work is provided at an upper portion in a hoistway.

Background Art

JP 2001 253658 A discloses a work floor for maintenance that is provided near a driving device and short ladders that are advanceably and retreatably engaged with each other. JP 2001 097649 A discloses an elevator apparatus having a part of a hoisting device that is placed in a fitting condition in a recessed part projecting from a part of a plain of the ceiling of an elevator shaft and supported on a securing part placed at the upper end of the elevator shaft, and a main rope is wound around the hoisting device.
In the conventional elevator apparatus disclosed in JP 2000-238971 A , for example, a driving machine is provided in a machine room provided in a hoistway. The machine room is provided directly above a counterweight in the hoistway. Further, the floor level of the machine room is provided at substantially the same height as the landing floor of the highest floor where a car can stop.
In the elevator apparatus as described above, the range in which a counterweight is allowed to be raised and lowered is restricted by the machine room, and thus the vertical dimension of the counterweight must be made small as much as possible. Naturally, the horizontal sectional area of the counterweight must be increased, making it necessary to increase the horizontal sectional area of the hoistway as well.
Further, while it is possible to perform maintenance and inspection from the top of a car, the working space is limited in such a case, with the result that it is often impossible to perform maintenance and inspection on the driving machine from a suitable position.

Disclosure of the Invention

The present invention has been made to overcome the above-described problem, and it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an elevator apparatus capable of enhancing the ease of maintenance and inspection work while achieving saving of the space in the hoistway.
The invention is defined in claim 1 and the dependent claims are directed to optional features and preferred embodiments.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Fig. 1 is a side view showing an elevator apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention;
Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line II-II of Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is a side view showing an elevator apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention;
Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line IV-IV of Fig. 3;
Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view showing an elevator apparatus according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

Best Mode for carrying out the Invention

Hereinbelow, preferred embodiments of the present invention are described with reference to the drawings.

Embodiment 1

Fig. 1 is a side view showing an elevator apparatus (machine room-less elevator) according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line II-II of Fig. 1.
Referring to the figures, provided in a hoistway 1 are a pair of guide rails 2 and a pair of counterweight guide rails 3 (not shown in Fig. 1). A car 4 is raised and lowered in the hoistway 1 as it is guided by the car guide rails 2. A counterweight 5 is raised and lowered in the hoistway 1 as it is guided by the counterweight guide rails 3.
A counterweight 5 is arranged rearward of the car 4 with respect to the depth direction of the hoistway 1. Provided at the bottom portion of the hoistway 1 are a car-side buffer (not shown) that receives the car 4, and a counterweight-side buffer 6 that receives the counterweight 5.
A pair of support beams 7 are fixed to an upper portion (top portion) of the hoistway 1. The support beams 7 are arranged in parallel in the width direction of the car 4 (the width direction of a landing entrance 8). A machine platform 9 is bridged over the support beams 7.
Provided on the machine platform 9 is a driving machine (hoisting machine) 10 as hoistway equipment for raising and lowering the car 4 and the counterweight 5. The driving machine 10 has a driving machine main body 11 including a motor and a brake, and a drive sheave 12 that is rotated by the driving machine main body 11. The rotation shaft of the drive sheave 12 is supported at its both ends. Further, the rotation shaft of the drive sheave 12 is in parallel to the width direction of the car 4 and extends horizontally.
Further, the driving machine 10 is arranged so as to overlap the car 4 within the vertical projection plane. That is, the driving machine 10 is arranged directly above the car 4.
Supported to the machine platform 9 is a rotatable deflector sheave 13 as hoistway equipment. The rotation shaft of the deflector sheave 13 is parallel to the rotation shaft of the drive sheave 12.
A plurality of main ropes 14 are wound around the drive sheave 12 and the deflector sheave 13. Each main rope 14 has a first end portion 14a connected to an upper beam 4a of the car 4, and a second end portion 14b connected to an upper portion of the counterweight 5. The car 4 and the counterweight 5 are suspended by the main rope 14 in the hoistway 1 by means of a 1:1 roping system.
Provided at the upper portion (top portion) of the hoistway 1 is a working platform 15 on which a worker stands while performing maintenance and inspection work on the driving machine 10. The working platform 15 is arranged so as to avoid interference with the car 4 when the car 4 moves to the uppermost movement position in the hoistway 1 and to partially overlap the car 4 within the vertical projection plane.
That is, the working platform 15 is arranged at a position where it does not collide with the upper beam 4a of the car 4 or equipment (door device and the like) on the top of the car 4 when the car 4 is lifted upward as the counterweight 5 collides with the counterweight-side buffer 6. Specifically, the working platform 15 is arranged at one rear side corner portion with respect to the front-to-rear direction of the hoistway 1.
Further, the working platform 15 has a pair of fixing beams 16 fixed between the pair of support beams 7, a floor portion fixed on the fixing beams 16, and a handrail 18 fixed on the floor portion 17. The fixing beams 16 are arranged in parallel in the depth direction of the car 4. The floor portion 17 is provided with an escape hatch 17a, and a cover 19 for opening and closing the escape hatch 17a. Further, the floor portion 17 is provided with a cover detecting switch 19a that detects opening of the cover 19.
The operation of the driving machine 10 is controlled by a control device (control panel) 20. The control device 20 is arranged in an upper or lower portion of the hoistway 1, for example. A signal from the cover detecting switch 19a is input to the control device 20. The control device 20 disables movement of the car 4 while the cover 19 is open.
In the elevator apparatus as described above, the car 4 is moved to the upper portion of the hoistway 1, and then the worker moves from the top of the car 4 onto the working platform 15, whereby the worker can perform maintenance and inspection work on the driving machine 10 or deflector sheave 13. Further, the working platform 15 is arranged so as to avoid interference with the car 4 and the counterweight 5, whereby the vertical dimension of the counterweight 5 is not restricted by the working platform 15, making it possible to prevent the horizontal sectional area of the hoistway 1 from increasing due to the counterweight 5. That is, it is possible to realize saving of the space in the hoistway 1.
Further, the floor portion 17 can be extended beyond the region of the car 4 within the vertical projection plane, whereby a large working space can be secured as compared with the case where maintenance and inspection work is performed on the top of the car 4, thereby making it possible to improve the ease of maintenance and inspection work.
Furthermore, in the event that it becomes impossible to move the car 4 due to some cause, the worker can move to the top of the car 4 through the escape hatch 17a, and then move into the interior of the car 4 through a rescue hatch provided in the ceiling of the car 4 or move to the top of an adjacent elevator car.
Further, the cover detecting switch 19a is provided in the floor portion 17 and the movement of the car 4 is disabled while the cover 19 is open, whereby it is possible to more reliably prevent the car 4 from moving during egress through the escape hatch 17a.

Embodiment 2

Next, Fig. 3 is a side view showing an elevator apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention, and Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line IV-IV of Fig. 3. While in Embodiment 1 the driving machine 10 is mounted on the machine platform 9, the driving machine 10 is fixed under the machine platform 9 in Embodiment 2.
Further, mounted to the machine platform 9 are a car-side return pulley 21 and a counterweight-side return pulley 22 as hoistway equipment for reversing the direction of the main rope 14, which extends from the drive sheave 12, and introducing the main rope 14 to the car 4 and the counterweight 5, respectively. The load exerted from the main rope 14 to the drive sheave 12 thus acts upwardly.
The working platform 15 is suspended from the support beams 7. That is, the floor portion 17 is located below the fixing beam 16 bridged between the support beams 7. Otherwise, Embodiment 2 is of the same construction as Embodiment 1. Accordingly, the working platform 15 is arranged so as to avoid interference with the car 4 when the car 4 moves to the uppermost movement position in the hoistway 1 and to partially overlap the car 4 within the vertical projection plane.
Such a construction facilitates movement of the worker from the top of the car 4 onto the working platform 15 even in the case where the driving machine 10 and the return pulleys 21, 22 occupy a large area relative to the ceiling surface area of the car 4.

Embodiment 3

Next, Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view of an elevator apparatus according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. Referring to the figure, the working platform 15 is provided with an openable/closable entrance door 23 that is opened during access to the top of the working platform 15. When closed, the entrance door 23 functions as a part of the handrail 18.
Further, the entrance door 23 is provided with a door detecting switch 24 that detects opening of the entrance door 23. A signal from the door detecting switch 24 is sent to the control device 20 (see Fig. 1). The control device 20 disables movement of the car 4 while the entrance door 23 is open. Otherwise, Embodiment 3 is of the same construction as Embodiment 1.
Due to the above construction, the car 4 does not move during access to and egress from the working platform 15 with the entrance door 23 open, whereby access to and egress from the working platform 15 can be made in a stable manner.
It is to be noted that while the driving machine 10, the deflector sheave 13, and the return pulleys 21, 22 are illustrated as the hoistway equipment in the above-described example, the hoistway equipment is not limited to those. For example, even in the case where the drive sheave is arranged in a lower portion of the hoistway, the working platform of the present invention may be provided in the hoistway when hoistway equipment, including a control panel, a speed governor, and return pulleys, is arranged at an upper portion in the hoistway and maintenance and inspection work is required for the hoistway equipment.
Further, while the elevator apparatus of the 1 : 1 roping system has been described in the above-described example, the present invention is applicable to an elevator apparatus employing another roping system, such as a 2:1 roping system.
Further, while in the above-described example only one working platform 15 is provided, a plurality of working platforms may be provided in the hoistway.
Further, while the above-described example is directed to the case where the worker moves from the top of the car 4 onto the working platform 15, it is also possible for the worker to move onto the working platform through a dedicated entrance from the landing or to erect a temporary scaffold between the landing entrance and the working platform on which the worker moves while performing maintenance and inspection work.
Further, while in the above-described example the driving machine 10 is arranged such that the rotation shaft of the drive sheave 12 becomes horizontal, it is also possible to arrange the drive sheave such that the rotation shaft of the drive sheave becomes vertical or substantially vertical. It is to be noted, however, that the driving machine is preferably arranged such that a part that is likely to require maintenance and inspection work, such as the brake, is located on the working platform side. In other words, it is preferable that the working platform be arranged near a part that frequently requires maintenance and inspection work.

Claims

An elevator apparatus comprising:
hoistway equipment (10, 13, 21, 22) being provided on a machine platform (9) that is arranged at an upper portion in a hoistway (1);

a car (4) that is raised and lowered in the hoistway (1); and

a working platform (15) is arranged at the upper portion in the hoistway (1), and at a position where it does not collide with an upper beam of the car or equipment on top of the car when the car is lifted upward,

wherein the working platform (15) is arranged so that the working platform (15) avoids interference with the car (4) when the car (4) moves to an uppermost movement position in the hoistway (1) and that the working platform (15) overlaps the car (4) within a vertical projection plane, characterized in that

the working platform (15) has a floor portion (17) provided with an escape hatch (17a), and a cover (19) for opening and closing the escape hatch (17a).
An elevator apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein the hoistway equipment (10, 13, 21, 22) is a driving machine (10) for raising and lowering the car (4).
An elevator apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein the working platform (15) is arranged so that the working platform (15) partially overlaps the car (4) in the vertical projection plane.
An elevator apparatus according to Claim 3, further comprising a cover detecting switch (19a) for detecting opening of the cover (19), and a control device (20) for controlling operation of the driving machine (10) according to a signal from the cover detecting switch (19a), the control device (20) being adapted to disable movement of the car (4) while the cover (19) is open.
An elevator apparatus according to Claim 1, wherein the working platform (15) has an entrance door (23) that is opened during access onto the working platform (15).
An elevator apparatus according to Claim 5, further comprising a door detecting switch (24) for detecting opening of the entrance door (23), and a control device (20) for controlling operation of the driving machine (10) according to a signal from the door detecting switch (24), the control device (20) being adapted to disable movement of the car (4) while the entrance door (23) is open.