EP1889806A1

EP1889806A1 - Load hoist for confined spaces

Info

Publication number: EP1889806A1
Application number: EP05750510A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Anibal Moro Suarez; Alejandro Moro Suarez; Daniel Moro Suarez; Jesus Gonzalez Dominguez
Original assignee: Tecnologia en Sistemas de Elevacion y Transporte
Current assignee: Tecnologia en Sistemas de Elevacion y Transporte
Priority date: 2005-05-19
Filing date: 2005-05-19
Publication date: 2008-02-20
Anticipated expiration: 2025-05-19
Also published as: ES2372638T3; ATE521562T1; WO2006122991A1; EP1889806B1

Abstract

The present invention refers to a hoist machine for small spaces having a structure formed from one or more modules (2-2') that can be longitudinally coupled to one another, formed by a metal frame (3) and a rib, either a drive rib (13) or a transmission rib (13'). Transversally located on the frame (3) are a series of brackets (7) on which a platform (8) is located. Said brackets are provided with extendible arms which allow coupling side platforms (11) of different widths, according to the unfolded length thereof. The drive rib (13) includes a gear motor group (12) which transmits its power to the ends of said rib that are connected in an interchangeable manner with the drive heads associated to the runways and on which they shift by means of a rack and pinion traction system. It is possible to couple to said drive rib either other drive ribs or other transmission ribs, thus obtaining a device that can be modulated in power and that can be adapted to the dimensions of the shaft in which it is intended to be installed.

Description

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

The present invention refers to a hoist machine for small spaces with applications both in civil engineering, such as for example in elevator shafts in new construction work before installing the final elevator, and in industry, such as for example in any hollow container which must be accessed through a manhole. The machine can also be used for lifting people.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There is currently a variety of vertical transport systems installed in small spaces for moving people, loads or goods, such as can be cable-driven hoists, traditional elevators installed in buildings and homes or rack-driven hoists, although the latter are usually used in building exteriors.
Said devices are usually manufactured with specific sizes, powers and loading capacities, the manufacturers having to offer a range of different models which adapt to different shaft sizes, powers and loading capacities, which means production costs that are notably greater than those they would have if they manufactured a single hoist model.
This is the reason why the range of models on offer is relatively limited, such that if it is desired to install a hoist in a small space of unusual size, in order to make the most of said space it is necessary to design a customized model of such characteristics, which will have a greater cost than a standard model.
Likewise, and depending on the use the hoist is intended for, it is usual that they are designed for specific powers, not being able to vary their power regarding the characteristics of use and loading needs it is intended for.
Different types of hoists are known in the state of the art, such as that described in Spanish utility model ES-1055692U-A1 , which discloses a rack-driven elevator having a modular loading structure formed by planar ladder sections erected in situ, the rack being fixed to one of the edges or side faces of said structure. The elevator has a cabin with the geared motor equipment arranged laterally, directly actuating the gear wheels, as well as a parachute brake and a command keypad.
Spanish patent ES-0412002-B discloses a transmission mechanism in which load distribution is spread evenly over the drive motors by means of a drive shaft connecting both guiding posts in a perpendicular manner for an elevator with movement by double rack and pinion, located one at either side of the elevator cage.
None of these documents mention the possibility of varying hoist power depending on the needs, and more specifically none of them detail the possibility of substituting the geared motor group or groups in a hoist with variable size. Also, none of the hoists in the state of the art describe a hoist made from components with sizes that do not exceed that of a manhole and which can be assembled and disassembled in the very hoist installation space the.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The hoist machine for small spaces proposed by the invention solves in a completely satisfactory manner the drawbacks mentioned above, in the different aspects mentioned, providing a machine with variable power and separately from said power a machine that can be easily adapted to the size of the shaft measurements, both longitudinally and transversally.
The main object of the invention is, therefore, a hoist machine with variable power by means of the combination of a gear motor group associated with a drive rib which preferably has different powers or more gear motor groups associated with other drive ribs which in turn have different powers. Said drive ribs are connected at the very construction site and at the location where the hoist is to be installed, by means of fast coupling, to the drive heads located on either side of the central rib (formed by at least one drive rib) associated with the gear motor group, said drive heads being associated with the vertical movement guides.
Another object of the invention is a hoist machine formed by independent components which may be transported in units and independently from the rest of components in order to access its installation location and vice versa, each one of the components being designed with maximum measurements allowing passage of each one of said components through manholes with standard measurements. This feature allows assembling and disassembling the machine in its final installation location, independently from the location thereof and the access routes.
Likewise, another object of the invention is a machine that is variable in size such that after coupling all its components it allows perfectly adapting longitudinally and transversally to the size of different small shafts or spaces in which it will be installed, with a guide system occupying minimum space, allowing to maximize the loading platform dimensions.
To this end, and more specifically, the device is formed by a series of components or modules with dimensions small enough as to be introduced through manholes, which will allow its subsequent assembly inside the small shaft or space. Coupling between the different components or modules will be performed by means of bolts and coupling flanges.
The machine is formed by three basic modules, at least one central rib or shaft, at least two drive heads and runway sections or guides for vertical movement of the drive heads along them.
The central rib must be formed by at least one drive rib or shaft directly associated with a gear motor group that is responsible for providing power to the assembly and is located in the central position of the drive rib. Said drive rib extends along both sides of the gear motor group up to its free ends. In order to transmit power to the rest of the assembly said drive rib will be coupled by means of fast coupling elements, preferably flanges, to the following rib or shaft, or to a drive head.
The central rib can also be formed, as well as the drive rib, by at least one transmission rib or shaft. The transmission rib, or transmission shaft, is responsible, regarding power transmission, for maintaining power transmission by means of a single line along the entire central rib.
Both the drive rib and the transmission rib, and thus the central rib, can be telescopic, i.e. for small adjustments inside the shaft that are less than the length of a standard rib, a telescopic shaft may be provided with extension possibilities on both ends.
Each one of the ribs forming the central rib is supported by a metal frame formed by a structure located in the center of the machine, which allows varying the plan dimensions of the machine both in length and in width. Said metal frame has the necessary elements to allow joining the frame of a drive rib and a transmission rib, as well as to allow fixing the ribs in place. The central rib frame is therefore formed by joining different frames, either for a single drive rib, or by joining a drive rib frame with other drive rib or transmission rib frames. Joining between frames is preferably carried out by means of bolts.
The variation in length is achieved by means of combining one or more frames with drive ribs or transmission ribs which are those forming the central rib.
In order to adjust to possible angles or to be able to adjust to circular surfaces, the drive ribs or transmission ribs may be coupled to one another by means of universal joints.
On the central rib frame a platform is arranged resting on a tubular structure arranged in such a manner as to allow adjusting the same to the width of the small shaft or space by means of brackets designed such that they adjust telescopically from the rib frame.
All the couplings forming the central rib or its frame are performed by means of bolts in the case of the structure and by means of coupling flanges in the case of the transmission.
The existence of the central rib and the combination of the different components of the hoist machine allow providing a hoist device with different powers for a single shaft or space by means of the simple substitution of the drive rib or ribs.
At least two drive heads are arranged on the ends of the central rib that are coupled to their respective hoisting runways or guides on the machine. There will be two types of drive heads, differentiated because one of them will have the parachute break device housed within it. Said heads are designed to transmit the lowest torque to the different runway sections, as well as to occupy the minimum amount of space possible, by means of a tread system combining bearings and flats made in a sliding material.
Power transmission reaches the drive heads by means of the aforementioned systems and these are responsible for transforming this into translational movement by meshing the pinions located thereon and the racks that form the runway sections.
The hoisting runways or guides of the machine have a modular structure, formed by a series of sections that may be longitudinally coupled through their ends, being fixed to opposite walls of the shaft in which the hoist is to be installed until reaching the maximum elevation height desired.
Said runway hoisting sections have a planar structure in the shape of a catwalk, with one or more longitudinal racks on which the drive heads shift due to gear wheels the movement of which is transmitted by means of the gear motor group through the central rib.
The planar structure of the hoisting sections allows better use of the space than that of the usual masts with triangular or quadrangular sections, which do not allow getting as close to the inner walls, and they also allow a better distribution of the suspended loads.
The hoist incorporates a control panel with a multifunction liquid crystal (LCD) display with the usual functions in this type of devices. Likewise, the device incorporates an automaton circuit with specific software that controls machine management.
Finally, it can be mentioned that the device incorporates on its platform the usual safety guardrails and doors, as well as necessary safety means such as end of travel detectors, open door detectors, parachute brake detectors, assembly keypad detectors, etc.
Each one of these detectors is connected to an input of the automaton circuit, said circuit controlling at all times the state of the machine, and it being possible to see the different electrical malfunctions that the machine may have on the control panel display.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to complement the description that is being made and in order to aid towards better understanding of the features of the invention according to a preferred practical embodiment thereof, a set of drawings is attached as an integral part of this description in which the following is shown with an illustrative and non limiting character:

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a hoist for small spaces carried out according to the object of the invention.
Figure 2 shows a side elevational view of the device of the previous figure.
Figure 3 shows a front elevational view of the device of the previous figure.
Figure 4 shows a side elevational view of a hoist for small spaces with a central rib formed by two drive modules or ribs that are coupled to and each associated with a gear motor group, in which the vertical rails of the machine are not represented.
Figure 5 shows a view of a possible configuration of the central rib, a combination between two transmission ribs and a drive rib with the gear motor group.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

In view of the figures shown, and especially in view of Figure 4, it can be observed how the hoist for small spaces (1) proposed by the invention is formed from one or more modules (2-2') incorporating a metal frame (3), with a series of longitudinal bars (4) provided on their ends with lobes (5) for an easy coupling to adjacent modules, with the aid of bolts (6), that allow longitudinal coupling of two or more frames.
Resting on each frame (3) there is a series of hollow brackets (7) arranged transversally, on which the platform (8) of the frame is arranged, said brackets having provided on their ends extendible arms (9) with locking means (10) on which side platforms (11) of different widths can be coupled, according to the unfolded length thereof, all of this as can be seen in Figure 3.
The modules (2-2') formed by a rib and a frame can be of two types, drive ribs (13) including a gear motor system and transmission ribs (13') used in order to transmit movement to different distances from the drive rib (13). The combination of any two ribs, as long as one of them is a drive rib (13), forms a central rib, and it can even be formed by a single drive rib (13).
The drive ribs have a gear motor group (12) housed in their frame (3) which transmits its power through a drive rib (13) or drive shaft (13), which has coupling flanges (14) on its ends and which is stabilized by means of bearings (15) associated to the frame (3).
The module formed by a transmission rib (13') and a frame (3) has an identical structure to that of a drive module, formed by a drive rib and a gear motor group but without incorporating the gear motor group (12) on the frame (3), such that they have a transmission rib or shaft (13') with flanges (14) on their ends in order to couple to drive ribs (13) or other transmission ribs (13') indistinctly, transmitting along said rib or shaft the rotation movement generated by the gear motor (12). It is also possible that said transmission ribs are joined to the drive heads by the end opposite that where it joins the drive rib.
As can be seen in Figure 4, the hoist machine allows the central rib to be formed by coupling two drive ribs (13) and their corresponding frames (3), thus increasing the power of the machine.
Once the structure is assembled, the ends of the drive rib (13) or transmission rib (13') are coupled by means of flanges (14) to as many drive heads (16), which allow vertical movement of the device along its respective hoisting runways or guides (17).
Likewise, Figure 5 shows another embodiment in which the central rib is formed by a drive rib (13) and two transmission ribs (13') located on both sides of the drive rib (13), thus increasing the length of the machine without varying the power thereof provided by the gear motor group (12) arranged on the drive rib (13).
The hoisting runways (17) of the hoist have a modular structure, formed by a series of vertical sections that can be longitudinally coupled, being fixed to opposite walls (18) of the shaft in which the hoist is to be installed.
The sections of the runways or guides (17) have a planar section in the form of a catwalk, with a longitudinal rack (19) on which the drive heads (16) shift by means of a pair of geared wheels (20-20') incorporated on said drive heads and angularly shifted by the gear motor group (12) through the transmission shaft (13) and the internal mechanisms of said heads (16).
Likewise, so that the drive heads (16) and runways (17) occupy the minimum amount of space, the planar runways are located on the drive head tread system, said system being preferably formed by a bearing and a flat made in a sliding material. A bearing and a flat are placed on at least one of the four vertices of the drive heads (16). As well as facilitating the shifting of the drive heads (16) along the runways (17), said flats prevent movements of the drive heads (16) except in a vertical direction.
Projecting from the upper edges of the platform of the hoist (1) are the usual guardrails (21) and safety doors (22).
Likewise, the hoist has a control panel, not shown in the drawings, formed mainly by a frequency converter and an automaton circuit which are in charge of managing the machine.
The machine can be configured with a single gear motor group the power of which can be varied, or with several gear motor groups, for which located on the door of the control panel there is a switch with several positions, as many positions as different combinations possible, connected to the automaton circuit, for which it is enough to turn it so that the same device, by means of the software it has, changes the parameters necessary in the converter, adapting to the new consumption requirements, power dissipated due to braking resistance, accelerations, speeds, etc. reporting on a multifunction LCD screen incorporated on said control panel.
The machine has two operating possibilities, manual for its assembly and automatic for normal use. In the automatic mode the LCD of the aforementioned control panel will display the current floor, it being possible to select the destination floor by means of the cursors present on said control panel.
Likewise, the circuit incorporates a series of sensors allowing by means of the automaton circuit displaying on the screen the different malfunctions that the machine may experience.

Claims

A hoist machine for small spaces, of the type incorporating at least one platform which moves vertically along guides by means of a rack and pinion traction system, characterized in that it comprises:
- at least two drive heads, each one including a rolling tread with its respective gear wheels associated to the respective racks, and

- at least one central rib located between two drive heads and separately supported by a support structure, said central rib being formed by at least one drive rib which is directly associated with a gear motor group,
such that said central rib and support structure are coupled to said drive heads by means of coupling elements allowing exchanging the central rib, and therefore the gear motor group and machine power, without interfering with the remaining components already installed on the hoist machine.
A machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the central rib comprises at least one transmission rib as well as at least said drive rib which are joined by means of coupling elements.
A machine according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the coupling elements are fast coupling elements.
A machine according to claim 3, characterized in that said fast coupling elements are flanges.
A machine according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the coupling elements are a universal joint.
A machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the support structure of the central rib is coupled to the drive head by means of bolts.
A machine according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the machine can be varied in length by means of joining different ribs and their corresponding frames.
A machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the machine can be regulated in width by means of brackets adapted to the platform of each one of the frames.
A machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the drive head has sliding runners that are in contact with the movement guides.
A machine according to claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the central rib is telescopic.
A machine according to the previous claims, characterized in that it comprises a control panel with a frequency converter and an automaton circuit which are responsible for managing the machine, said control panel including a software which allows configuring the machine with respect to the number and power of the gear motor groups installed.
A machine according to the previous claims, characterized in that the different components thereof have maximum dimensions in order to be transported through manholes of standard dimensions.
A machine according to the previous claims, characterized in that the different components thereof can be assembled and disassembled in the location where the machine is to be installed.
A machine according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one of the drive heads has a parachute break.