AU599118B2 - Improved elevator car - Google Patents

Description

991 COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA FORM PATENTS ACT 1952 rn M p T, R T SPECIFICATION C E SPECIF FOR OFFICE USE: Class Int.Class Application Number: Lodged: .opplete Specification Lodged: S* Accepted: S, Published: Priority: "Related Art:

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This document contains the amendments imade under Sectio.n 4 and I correct for printing.

Name of Applicant: Name of Applicant: Address of Applicant: OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY 10 Farm Springs, Farmington, Connecticut 06032, United States of America LESLIE ALLAN RORIE and STEVEN JOHN RIDLEY Actual Inventor: Address for Service: SHELSTON WATERS, 55 Clarence Street, Sydney Complete Specification for the Invention entitled: "IMPROVED ELEVATOR CAR" The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us:- 1- Complete of PH6872 dated 10th July, 1986 0U 4 004 S 40 4 I 04 31 0, This invention relates to elevator cars. It has been the usual practice in the past to construct elevator cars in situ by joining sheet metal panels along their adjacent vertical edges.

This method of construction has several associated major problems. Firstly, the rough bolted flange construction gives rise to considerable wind noise in fast moving elevators. Secondly, the method is dimensionally unstable since all tolerance errors in the bent flange construction are additive from panel to panel. Thirdly, the car must be assembled in the very small working clearance space available in elevator shafts. Finally, the method is very time consuming.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved elevator car and method of assembly which will reduce at least some of these problems of the prior art.

According to one aspect of the invention there is provided an elevator car having a modular wall construction, at least a pair of adjacent wall panels 20 being joinable in butted relationship by means of locking units including locking studs protruding from an abutment surface at or adjacent an edge of one panel into engagement with locking means on the adjacent panel, said locking means being internally accessible such that said panels can be locked together from inside said car, each said locking stud including a co-axial conical locking surface and said locking means including a locking screw transversely engageable with said stud to ride up said 4.4; 4 4 44 .3 4 4 44 0 41 4 04 t-- 2 ccnical surface and thereby draw said panels into secure engagement.

Preferably, each of the four wall corners are joined by a plurality of such locking studs spaced along the height of the wall. However, the walls themselves may be formed of two or more wall panels joined edge to edge by the locking studs.

The locking means preferably are in the form of Allen head locking screws which ride up the conical surface, urging it forward and drawing the components into secure engagement.

The walls can be single or double skinned as required and may be formed from a plurality of vertical columns to Swhich the skin or skins are attached at the factory in the form of single or multiple flat cover sheets, with no need for projecting flanges.

According to another aspect the invention provides a method of assembling an elevator car including at least a pair of adjacent wall panels, one of said panels including locking studs protruding from an abutment surface at or adjacent an edge of said panel, and the adjacent panel including complimentary internally accessible locking means, said method including the steps of: o: ~bringing said panels into butted relationship with said studs loosely engaged with said locking means; and actuating said locking means from inside said car thereby to draw said panels into secure engagement, each said locking stud including a co-axial conical -3 i i locking surface and said locking means including a locking screw transversely engageable with said stud, said actuation being effected by tightening said screw from inside said car, thereby causing said stud to ride up said conical surface and draw said panels into secure engagement.

Preferred embodidments of the invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:- Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of an elevator car according to the invention.

01 0 9) 00 0 0 0 0 00 0s- 0 00 0 64 00 0 a o 9 0a 00 0c~~ (V~c 3a t-xli Figure 2 is an enlarged horizontal section through a wall joint on line 2-2, showing the locking arrangement.

Figure 3 is an enlarged exploded view showing the construction of the ends of the vertical columns.

Figure 4 is a side elevation showing the assembly of the vertical columns with top and bottom rails.

Figure 5 is a vertical section through a double skinned wall.

Figure 6 is a plan view showing an inwardly hinged ai00 front wall module for providing access to car electrics.

V o Figure 7 is an exploded perspective view showing a s0 Smultiple wall panel construction and the incorporation of 00. a canopy.

Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 5 but illustrating the construction of Figure 7.

Referring initially to Figures 1 to 6 of the drawings, the car is preferably pre-assembled in modular form to provide three wall assemblies, a roof, a floor, two front modules and a head jamb. Figure 1 illustrates a 0000 a o e 0420 rear wall i, a side wall 2, a roof 3, and one front wall 06oa o 1 module In this case the composite side and rear walls each separately constitute single, double skinned panels 4 formed from a plurality of hollow, square sectioned frame members 6. The frame members in this embodiment are all in the form of vertical support columns. The columns 6 are each provided at their opposite open ends 7 with a connector bracket 8 to which top and bottom rails 9 and 4 are attached. Respective inner and outer skins 11 and 12 of sheet material are secured to the columns by rivetting, bonding or any suitable means.

In accordance with the invention the rear and side panels can be assembled in situ from inside the car by means of the locing units 15 shown in detail in figure 2. Each locking unit includes a locking stud 16 secured to protrude from the frame member 6 forming the longitudinal edge of the rear wall 1 which overlaps the '0l end of the side wall 2. Each stud 16 includes a conical 0o 0 o 0 locking surface 18 which is engaged by an Allen head couo oo locking screw 19 accessible from inside the car. The a 0 screw 19 preferably does not protrude beyond the inner skin and is accessible through an aperture or gap in the skin. As the screw 19 is tightened it rides up the o0 4 conical surface, urging it forward and drawing the 0 00 components into secure engagement. Packing pieces 20 may be provided for positive adjustment in situ.

As best shown in figure 5, the platform 28 supports 00,0 020 the bottom rails or skirt 10 while the roof 3 is secured 0 464 to the top rails 9 by side brackets 22. The simplicity of the double wall construction easily permitted by the present invention provides ventillation benefits.

Substantial quietening of the air flow is achieved simply by the distance the air must travel from inlet vents 23 in the outer skin to the interior of the car adjacent the top and bottom rails, as shown at 24 and 25 in figure Previously, ventillation holes cut directly into the skirt produced unacceptably high noise levels in high speed cars unless expensive baffling systems were provided. The present invention is also well adapted to receive sound insulation material 26 in the space between the inner and outer skins 11 and 12.

It will be appreciated that the invention is equally adapted to operate with a single inner or outer skin if required in place of the illustrated double skin arrangement. A single skin construction would preferably cover the interior of at Jeast the back and side walls with smooth sheet material. The interior of the car can o 0 be lined with whatever facia material 27 may be required.

a 0As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the walls may be formed a 066 from two or more panels 4 joined edge to edge by the .0 locking units. The units may also be used along the top o 0t .edges of the panels as shown in order to secure a canopy directly to the walls. The canopy is itself formed by a plurality of panels 4 and the studs 16 can protrude from either the walls or canopy panels as required. In this 0001 °2'00 case, the vertical studs are provided by the wall panels and the canopy includes the internally accessible locking means.

The hinged or fixed front modules 5 are preferably attached to the side walls by the same locking units but may be attached by any suitable means, such as that shown in Figure 6.

It will be appreciated that the above described embodiments of the present invention provide an elevator -6 car in which its major components of back and side walls, hinged front modules, head jamb, floor and roof can be assembled from inside or from on top of the roof, working downwardly instead of in the cramped space at the side of the car.

The double skin construction is aerodynamically desirable in high speed operations and well adapted to provide noise reduction and internal ventillation which is both inherently quiet and simple.

f iVJ The car is dimensionally stable. Construction times

T

and costs are reduced by the edge locking units. These 0 9 a locking units may of course take any suitable form o0 go provided interior locking engagement is possible.

Although the invention has been described with reference to specific examples it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention may be f0 embodied in many other forms.

04 a i7 4. -01-4 rt-7-

Claims (12)

1. An elevator car having a modular wall construction, at least a pair of adjacent wall panels being joinable in butted relationship by means of locking units including locking studs protruding from an abutment surface at or adjacent an edge of one panel into engagement with locking means or the adjacent panel, said locking means being internally accessible such that said panels can be locked together from inside said car, each said locking stud including a co-axial conical locking surface and said locking means including a locking screw transversely engageable with said stud to ride up said conical surface f3 and thereby draw said panels into secure engagement. r 0'

2. An elevator car according to claim 1 wherein said (4o4 panel includes at least an inner cover sheet defining an inwardly directed panel surface and said locking screw extends in a direction normal to said inwardly directed panel surface.

3. An elevator car according to claih 2 wherein said ooa o locking screw does not protrude beyond said panel surface but is accessible through an aperture or gap in said surface.

4. An eleVator car according to claim 2 wherein said on panel also includes an outer cover sheet to provide a double skinned structure. An elevator car according to claim 4 wherein air inlet vents are provided in said outer sheet to convey air through the space between said inner and outer cover 8 o- o 0 00 oQ s G 0 ro Q o 00r 0 0 4, 0 00 (>000B O 0 o,~0 00 00 0L 0 0 04 4 0 00Q U sheets to internal air outlets at positions adjacent the top and bottom edges of said panel.

6. An elevator car according to claim 5 wherein said vents do not protrude beyond the outer surface of said outer cover sheet.

7. An elevator car according to claim 1 wherein at least one side wall is defined by a plurality of said panels.

8. An elevator car according to claim 1 including a canopy defined by a plurality of said panels.

9. A method of assembling an elevator car including at least a pair of adjacent wall panelp, one of said panels including locking studs protruding from an abutment surface at or adjacent an edge of said panel, and the adjacent panel including complimentary internally accessible locking means, said 'method including the steps of: bringing said panels into butted relationship with said studs loosely engaged with said locking means; and actuating said locking means from inside said car thereby to draw said panels into secure engagement, each said locking stud including a co-axial conical locking surface and said locking means including a locking screw transversely engageable with said stud, said actuation being effected by tightening said screw from inside said car, thereby causing said stud to ride up said conical surface and draw said panels into secure engagement. 9 L I-I A method according to claim 9 wherein said panel includes at least an inner cover sheet defining an inwardly directed panel surface and said locking screw extends in a direction normal to said inwardly directed panel surface.

11. A method according to claim 10 wherein said locking screw does not protrude beyond said panel surface but is accessible through an aperture or gap in said surface.

12. A method according to claim 9 wherein at least one side wall is defined by a plurality of said panels.

13. A method according to claim 9 including a canopy defined by a plurality of said panels.

14. A method of constructing an elevator car substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. An elevator car substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED this 23rd day of MARCH, 1990 OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY o Attorney: PETER R. HEATHCOTE Fellow Institute of Patent Attorneys of Australia of SHELSTON WATERS o 1 k.j L.