CA2339743A1 - Stairway elevator - Google Patents

Stairway elevator Download PDF

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Publication number
CA2339743A1
CA2339743A1 CA 2339743 CA2339743A CA2339743A1 CA 2339743 A1 CA2339743 A1 CA 2339743A1 CA 2339743 CA2339743 CA 2339743 CA 2339743 A CA2339743 A CA 2339743A CA 2339743 A1 CA2339743 A1 CA 2339743A1
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
rail
carriage frame
stairway
rail assembly
stairway elevator
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Abandoned
Application number
CA 2339743
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Antoine Maghzal
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Savaria Inc
Original Assignee
Savaria Inc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Savaria Inc filed Critical Savaria Inc
Priority to CA 2339743 priority Critical patent/CA2339743A1/en
Publication of CA2339743A1 publication Critical patent/CA2339743A1/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B66HOISTING; LIFTING; HAULING
    • B66BELEVATORS; ESCALATORS OR MOVING WALKWAYS
    • B66B9/00Kinds or types of lifts in, or associated with, buildings or other structures
    • B66B9/06Kinds or types of lifts in, or associated with, buildings or other structures inclined, e.g. serving blast furnaces
    • B66B9/08Kinds or types of lifts in, or associated with, buildings or other structures inclined, e.g. serving blast furnaces associated with stairways, e.g. for transporting disabled persons
    • B66B9/0838Levelling gears

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Transportation (AREA)
  • Automation & Control Theory (AREA)
  • Structural Engineering (AREA)
  • Types And Forms Of Lifts (AREA)

Abstract

A stairway elevator comprises a rail assembly and a motorized chain lift unit movable along the rail assembly. The chair lift unit includes a carriage frame and a leveling system for maintaining the carriage frame i:n a selected angular orientation along the rail assembly. The leveling system includes a pair of rail followers pivotally connected to the carriage frame and respectively engageable with first and second tracks of said rail assembly for retaining the chain lift unit thereon.
The rail followers are displaceable relative to one another so as to accept variable vertical spacings between the first and second tracks.

Description

STAIRWAY ELEVATOR
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to inclined lift mechanisms and, more particularly, to a stairway elevator for transporting a person in ascending and descending directions along a st<~.irway.
2. Description of the ~?rior Art It is tniell now to used stairway elevators, such as stairway chairlift devices, for individually transporting persons having difficulty in ascending and descending stairs. Typically, such chairlift devices include a rail supported along a stairway and a motorized chair unit movable along the rail in ascending and descending directions.
Although such conventional stairway elevators are effective for transporting individuals along a stairway, it has been found that there is a need for a new compact stairway elevator having an improved chair unit leveling system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an aim of the present invention to provide a .stairway elevator having a new leveling system.
It i.s also an aim of t:he present invention to provide a stairway elevator which is of relatively compact construction.
It is a further aim of the present invention to provide a stairway elevator which offers ease of installation.
Therefore in accordancf~ with the present invention there is provided a stairway elevator comprising a rail assembly ada~>ted to be mounted along a stairway, said rail asserr~bly including first and second vertically spaced-apart tracks, a motorized chairlift unit movable along said rail assembly, said chairlift unit including a carriage frame and first and second rail followers respectively engaged with said first and second tracks for retaining said carriage frame on said rail assembly in a selected angular orientation, wherein said first and second rail followers are pivotally connected to said carriage frame and relatively displaceable towards and away from each other.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Having thus generally described the nature of the invention, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, showing b,r way of illustration a preferred embodiment thereof, a.nd in which:
Fig. 1 is a schematic view of a preferred embodiment of a stairway elevator including a pair of guide rails and a motorized chair unit, showing the motorized chair unit at various positions along the guide rails;
Fig. 2 is a rear perspective view of the motorized chair unit with parts of the unit omitted for clarity; and Fig. 3 is a front per:>pecti:ve view of the main structural parts of the motorized chair unit.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Now referring to they drawings, an in particular to Fig. 1, a stairway elevator embodying the elements of the present invention and generally designated by reference numeral 10 will be herein described.
More specifically, the ~~tairway elevator 10 generally comprises a track or rail assembly 12 adapted to be mounted adjacent one wall of a stairway between lower and upper landing:, and a motorized chairlift unit 14 movable along the rail assembly 12 in ascending and descending directions.
The rail assembly 12 comprises upper and lower guide rails 16 and 18. The upper, and lower guide rails 16 and 18 are preferably each comprised of a continuous length of hollow rigid tubing made of steel or other appropriate rigid materials. According to a preferred embodiment of tree present invention, the upper and lower guide rails 16 and 18 have a square cross-section defining top, bottom, front and back planar riding surfaces. A~~ can be appreciated from Fig. 1, the upper and lower guide rails 16 and 18 do not have to be identical and the vertical distance therebetween is not constant. The rails 16 and 18 are provided with whatever curved segments or bends required to enable the :rail assembly 12 to generally follow the course of the stairway in which the stairway elevator 10 has to be installed. The relative curvature between both rails 16 and 18 is intended to keep the chair lift in a vertical position.
The motorized chairlift unit 14 generally includes a carriage 20 to which a pivotable, collapsible seat assembly (not shown) can be mounted as at 22 (Fig. 2). The carriage 20 includes a main vertical mounting plate 24 supporting a motor 26 driving a pinion 28 which is in meshing engagement ',pith a gear rack 30 incorporated within the lower guide rail 18 for driving the motorized chairlift unit 14 in descending and ascending directions along the rail assembly 12.
As shown in Fig. 2, the carriage 20 further comprises a leveling system including a lower rail follower 32 pivotally mounted to a hub structure 34 proj ecting at ~ right angles from a rear surface 36 of the vertical mounting plate 24, an upper rail follower 38 mounted for pivotal and sliding movements in a plane parallel and adj acent to the rear surface 36 of the vertical mounting plate 24, and an anti-tilting device 40 pivotally mounted on an idle shaft 42 projecting at right angles from the rear surface 36 of the vertical mounting plate 24 for engaging the upper guide rail 16. The anti-tilting device 40 cooperates with the lower rail follower 32 to maintain the vertical mounting plate 24 in a vertical orientation relative to the ra_Ll assembly 12 (i.e.
prevent the vertical mounting plate 24 and, thus, the associated collapsible seat from being laterally tilted in the plane of the vertical mounting plate), whereas the upper rail follower 38 acts as a retainer for preventing the carriage 20 from falling out of the plane of the vertical mounting plate 24 (i.e. out of the plane illustrated in Fig. 1).
The lower rail follower 32 includes a swivel plate 44 pivotally mounted on the hub structure 34. A first pair of rollers 46 is provided for riding on the top planar surface of the lower guide rail 18. It is noted that. only the left-hand roller 46 in Fig. 2 takes load. The rollers 46 are mounted on respective idle shafts 48 projecting at right angles from the swivel plate 44. A back plate 50 extending in parallel to the swivel plate 44 is secured to the distal ends of the idle shafts 48. A
second pair of rollers 52 is provided for riding on the bottom planar surface of the lower guide rail 18.
The rollers 52 are mounted on re;~pective idle shafts 54 projecting at right angles from a lower portion of an inner surface of the back plate 50. Two brackets 56 extend from the swivel plate 44 to support a pair of idle shafts 58 extending in a direction perpendicular to the idle shafts 48 and 54. A third pair of rollers 60 is provided for riding on the front planar surface of the lower guide rail 18. The rollers 60 are rotatably mounted at the free distal ends of the idle shafts 58. The right-hand roller 46 in Fig. 2 is for pivoting to ensure that rollers 60 are always aligned with the lovuer rail 18. A fourth pair of rollers 62 is provided for riding on the back planar surface of the lower guide rail 18. The rollers 62 are mounted on idle shafts 64 projecting from corresponding brackets 66 provided on the inner surface of the back plate 50.
As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the upper rail follower 38 includes a swivel plate 68 pivotally mounted on a pivot 70 constrained to move within a vertically extending slot 72 defined in the mounting plate 24. The central axis of the slot 72 is in vertical alignment with the pivot axis of the lower rail follower 32 The pivot 70 extends from a web plate 74 extending between firsi~ and second sleeves 76 slidably mounted on respective vertical shaft s 78 extending upwardly from respE~ctive brackets 80 projecting at right angles from a front surface of the vertical mounting plate 24. The sleeves 76 and the associated shafts 78 form a pair of linear bearings. The ability of the swivel plate 68 to linearly move with respect to the vertical mounting plate 24 and, thus, the lower rail follower 32 provides for the use of spaced-apart upper and lower rails which does not necessarily have to be at a constant vertical distance from one another along the length thereof.
As shown in Fig. 2, the upper rail follower 38 further includes first and second pairs of rollers 82 and 84 for respectively riding on the top and bottom planar surfaces of the upper guide rail 16.
The rollers 82 and 84 are mounted on respective idle shafts 86 extending at right angles from the swivel plate 68. A support plate 88 extends at right angles from the upper end of the swivel plate 68. A pair of laterally spaced-apart idle shafts 90 depends downwardly from a distal end of the support plate 88.
A third pair of rollers 92 is provided for riding on the back planar surface of the upper guide rail 16.
The rollers 92 are rotatably mounted to the lower ends of the shafts 90. A fourth pair of rollers 94 is provided for riding on the front planar surface of the upper guide rail 16. The rollers 94 are mounted on respective idle shafts 96 extending from respective brackets 98 which, in turn, project at right angles from the swivel plal~e 68.
The anti-tilting device or primary stabilizer 40 comprises a plate 37 mounted at a distal end of a shaft 39 jouz-naled in a pair of bearings housed in a bearing housing 41 mounted to the vertical mounting plate 24, thereby allowing the plate 37 to pivot relative to the vertical mounting plate 24. The shaft 39 is offset laterally with respect to the vertical axis passing through the pivot points of the lower and upper rail followers 32 and 38. This offset provides lateral stability. First and second idle shafts 42a, b extend at right angles from opposed end portion of they plate 37. A first roller 43 is rotatably mounted at the distal end of the first shaft 42a for riding o:n. the top surface of the upper guide rail 16. Likewise, a second roller 45 is rotatably mounted at the distal end of the second idle shaft 42b for riding on the bottom surface of the upper guide rail 16.
Since the respective points of pivot of the anti-tilting device 40 and the lower rail follower 32 are fixed relative to the vertical mounting plate 24 and since the lower rail follower 32 and the anti tilting device 40 are engaged with the top and bottom surfaces of the lower and upper. rails 18 and 16, respectively, the vertical mounting plate 24 is prevented from becoming slanted from the vertical, as the carriage 20 is displaced along the rail assembly 12 from one position to another, as can be seen from Fig. 1.
The carriage 20 further includes a stabilizer 100 adapted to engage the top surface of the upper rail 16 when the carriage 20 moves on a horizontal segment of the rail assembly 12, as illustrated in broken lines in Fig. 1. The stabilizer 100 includes a pin 102 projecting at right angles from an upper corner of the rear surface of the vertical mounting plate 24 on a side opposite to the anti-tilting device 40. A roller 104 is rotatably mounted to a distal end of the pin 102 for riding on the top. surface of the upper rail 16 when the carriage 20 reaches a horizontal segment of the upper guide rail 16.
In operation, the motor 26 is powered to drive the pinion 28 in a selected direction so as to cause the carriage 20 to displace along the upper and lower rails 16 and 18. The angular orientation of the upper rail follower 38, the lower rail follower 32 and the anti-tilting device 40 relative to the vertical mounting plate 24 will vary along the rails 16 and 18 as the rail inclination changes. To compensate for the different vertical spacings between corresponding points on the upper and lower rails 16 and 18, the upper rail follower 38 will move in the slot 72. When the vertical. spacing between the upper and lower rails 16 and 18 is minimal, as it is the case in the position illustrated in full lines in Fig. 1, the pivot 70 will be located at the lower end of the slot 72. However, the pivot 70 will be caused to gradually move upward in the slot 72 as the vertical spacing between the rails 16 and 18 increases.
7 _

Claims (5)

1. A stairway elevator comprising a rail assembly adapted to be mounted along a stairway, said rail assembly including first and second vertically spaced-apart tracks, a motorized chairlift unit movable along said rail assembly, said chairlift unit including a carriage frame and first and second rail followers respectively engaged with said first and second tracks for retaining said carriage frame on said rail assembly in a selected angular orientation, wherein said first and second rail followers are pivotally connected to said carriage frame and relatively displaceable towards and away from each other.
2. A stairway elevator as defined in claim 1, wherein said first follower has two degrees of freedom relative to said carriage frame.
3. A stairway elevator as defined in claim 2, wherein said first follower is mounted to said carriage frame for linear movement and pivotal movements with respect thereto.
4. A stairway elevator as defined in claim 3, wherein said first follower includes a swivel plate mounted to said carriage frame by linear bearing means.
5. A stairway elevator as defined in claim 4, wherein said swivel plate is mounted on a pivot constrained to move in slot defined in said carriage frame, said pivot extending from a web interconnecting first and second sleeves slidably mounted on respective shafts.
CA 2339743 2001-03-02 2001-03-02 Stairway elevator Abandoned CA2339743A1 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA 2339743 CA2339743A1 (en) 2001-03-02 2001-03-02 Stairway elevator

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA 2339743 CA2339743A1 (en) 2001-03-02 2001-03-02 Stairway elevator

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA2339743A1 true CA2339743A1 (en) 2002-09-02

Family

ID=4168526

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA 2339743 Abandoned CA2339743A1 (en) 2001-03-02 2001-03-02 Stairway elevator

Country Status (1)

Country Link
CA (1) CA2339743A1 (en)

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1700812A1 (en) * 2005-03-07 2006-09-13 Engelbert Hawle Device for stairlift stabilization
CN102442520A (en) * 2010-09-30 2012-05-09 中国船舶重工集团公司第七一三研究所 Marine stairstep material conveying device
US20170233223A1 (en) * 2014-11-07 2017-08-17 Handicare Stairlifts B.V. Stairlift
CN107934720A (en) * 2017-12-01 2018-04-20 赵丰 Track babinet and passageway lift

Cited By (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1700812A1 (en) * 2005-03-07 2006-09-13 Engelbert Hawle Device for stairlift stabilization
CN102442520A (en) * 2010-09-30 2012-05-09 中国船舶重工集团公司第七一三研究所 Marine stairstep material conveying device
CN102442520B (en) * 2010-09-30 2014-02-26 中国船舶重工集团公司第七一三研究所 Marine stairstep material conveying device
US20170233223A1 (en) * 2014-11-07 2017-08-17 Handicare Stairlifts B.V. Stairlift
US10843901B2 (en) * 2014-11-07 2020-11-24 Handicare Stairlifts B.V. Stairlift
CN107934720A (en) * 2017-12-01 2018-04-20 赵丰 Track babinet and passageway lift

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