KR101445652B1 - Elevator suspension and/or driving assembly having at least one traction surface comprising exposed weave fibers - Google Patents

Abstract

An exemplary elongated elevator load bearing member includes a plurality of tension elements extending along the length of the load bearing member. The plurality of weft fibers traversing the tension elements are woven with the tension elements so that the woven fibers maintain a desired spacing and alignment of the tension elements with respect to each other. The woven fibers at least partially cover the tension elements. The woven fibers are exposed and establish the outer traction surface of the load bearing member.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a driving assembly and / or an elevator suspension having at least one traction surface including exposed woven fibers.

The present invention relates to a driving assembly and / or an elevator suspension.

There are various uses of elongated load carrying members such as round ropes or flat belts. One such use is to suspend the elevator systems. Load transfer members are used for propelling or driving in elevator systems. For many years round steel ropes were industry standard. More recently, flat belts having a plurality of tension member cords held substantially within a jacket have been used in elevator systems. While there are advantages associated with these belts in the elevator system, challenges are presented.

For example, one challenge presented by several elevator belts is to achieve a desired amount of traction between the belt and the traction sheave causing the belt and hence the elevator car body to move. Different approaches have been proposed to achieve specific traction characteristics on the surface of an elevator belt. One approach is shown in the published international application WO 2005/094255. In the document, the jacket includes a roughened surface for providing desired friction characteristics.

Other challenges are associated with techniques used to apply a jacket to a belt. Some of these techniques lead to features that are considered a source of noise during elevator operation. In addition, adding a jacket layer increases cost and manufacturing complexity.

The present invention seeks to provide an improved elevator load bearing member.

An exemplary elongated elevator load bearing member includes a plurality of tension elements extending along the length of the load bearing member. The plurality of woven fibers across the tensile elements are weaved with the tensile elements such that the woven fibers maintain a desired spacing and alignment of the tensile elements with respect to each other. The woven fibers at least partially cover the tension elements. The woven fibers are exposed and establish the outer traction surface of the load bearing member.

An exemplary method of constructing a elongated load bearing member comprises providing a plurality of tensile elements extending along the length of the load bearing member. The plurality of woven fibers are woven with the tensile elements thereby maintaining the desired spacing and alignment of the tensile elements with respect to each other. The woven fibers at least partially cover the tension elements. The woven fibers are exposed and establish the outer traction surface of the load bearing member.

Various features and advantages of the examples disclosed from the following detailed description will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The drawings accompanying the detailed description can be briefly described as follows.

1 schematically shows selected parts of an exemplary elevator system;
Figure 2 schematically depicts an exemplary load bearing member having woven fibers woven with tension elements;
Figure 3 schematically depicts one exemplary woven pattern comprising woven fibers in one or more directions; And
Figure 4 schematically shows another example including tensile elements distributed over a woven belt.

Figure 1 schematically shows selected portions of an exemplary traction elevator system 20. The examples shown are for illustrative purposes only. Features (e.g., guide rails, safety, etc.) of the elevator system 20 that are not required to understand the present invention are not shown or described. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention can be used in various elevator system configurations as well as the specific example shown in this figure. This example includes an elevator car body 22 coupled with a counterweight 24 by at least one elongated elevator load bearing members 30 in a 1: 1 roping arrangement. Other roping configurations such as 2: 1 or more are possible. The weight of the elevator car body 22 and the counterweight 24 is caught by the elongated elevator load supporting members 30.

The traction sheave 31A causes a desired movement of the elongated elevator load supporting members 30 to achieve the desired movement and placement of the elevator car body 22 within the hoistway. The exemplary elevator system 20 shown includes a deflector pulley 31B as shown in Fig. 1, which engages the elongated elevator load support members 30. Fig. Other examples may include one or more idler or diverter (s) to the vehicle body 22, counterweight 24, or both (e.g., to provide an overslung or underslung roping configuration) Which are also engaged with elongated elevator load bearing members 30.

Figure 2 shows an exemplary elongated elevator load bearing member 30. This example includes a plurality of tension elements 32. As can be appreciated from the figures, the tension elements 32 are generally arranged parallel to one another and extend in the longitudinal direction to establish the length dimension of the elongated elevator load bearing member 30. [ A plurality of woven fibers 34 are woven together with the tensile elements 32. In this example, the woven fibers 34 and the tension elements 32 are woven together into a fabric that retains the tension elements 32 in a desired orientation relative to each other. In other words, the woven fibers 34 substantially retain the tension elements 32 in place. The phrase "substantially retracted" means that the use of the elevator support system 10, when in use (e.g., when the elongated elevator load bearing member 30 is potentially subjected to a load encountered during use in the elevator system 20 at an additional safety factor) Means that the woven fibers 34 are sufficiently engaged with the tension elements 32 so that the tension elements 32 are not pulled out of the weave but remain substantially stationary relative to the woven fibers 34. [ The woven fibers 34 in this example have a length that is transverse to the length or length direction of the tension elements 32.

The exemplary load-bearing member 30 includes an outer traction surface 36 on at least one side of the load-bearing member 30. The traction surface 36 is established by the exposed woven fibers 34. The "exposed" weave fibers 34 in most embodiments will not be exposed along their entire length. Because the woven fibers 34 are woven into the woven fabric of the load-bearing member 30, portions of each fiber will be below the tensile elements 32 or other woven fibers 34.

In the illustrated example, all of the woven fibers 34 are exposed on the outer traction surface 36. In some instances, the arrangement of the woven layers or woven fibers 34 leaves at least some of the woven fibers 34 covered by the other woven fibers 34. In these instances, only a portion of the woven fibers are exposed and establish an external traction surface.

The tension elements 32 are the main load supporting structure of the elevator load supporting member 30. [ In some instances, the woven fibers 34 do not support the weight of the elevator car 22 or the counterweight 24. Nevertheless, the woven fibers 34 form part of the load path. Because the woven fibers 34 are exposed at the traction surface 36, the woven fibers 34 deliver the traction forces between the traction sheave 31 and the elevator load bearing member 30 directly to the tension elements 32 .

The woven fibers 34 in some instances prevent the tensioning elements 32 from contacting any of the components that the traction surface 36 engages. For example, the tension elements 32 will not contact the surface on the traction sheave 31 as the load-bearing member 30 is at least partially wrapped around the traction sheave 31. The size of the woven fibers 34, the material of the woven fibers 34, the pattern of woven fibers 34, or a combination thereof ensures a desired spacing between the tension elements 32 and the traction surface 36, (32) are selected to be protected from direct engagement with components such as traction sheave (31). The woven fibers 34 in some instances cover at least 50% of the surface area of the tensile elements 32 facing in the same direction as the traction surface 36.

In one example, the tensile elements 32 comprise a first material and the woven fibers 34 comprise a different second material. In the illustrated example, the woven fibers 34 have a much smaller thickness or cross-sectional dimension than the tensile elements 32. In one example, the tensile elements 32 are metal, such as drawn steel, and the woven fibers 34 include non-metallic materials such as, for example, polymers. Exemplary tension elements 32 shown in FIG. 2 include metal cords, each including wound wires.

As a result of the weaving process in this example, each of the tensile elements 32 is maintained along its length in a generally planar orientation, while the woven fibers 34 are arranged to extend along the length of each woven fiber 34 Locations. The woven fibers 34 are made of a lighter weight than the tensile elements 32 and the woven fibers 34 are treated to conform to the exterior of the tensile elements during the weaving process. Each of the woven fibers 34 may be partially wound up (according to the figure) of one of the tension elements, below the adjacent tension element 32 and above the next tension element. In some instances, the tension elements 32 remain tensioned during the weaving process, which keeps the tension elements 32 straight along the length of the weaving that is being woven with the woven fibers 34.

In the example shown, all the tension elements 32 are aligned with one another in an arrangement that is generally parallel and generally coplanar. The woven fibers 34 maintain their desired alignment, while causing the load bearing member 30 to bend around the sheaves in the elevator system. The woven fibers 34 retain the desired relative orientations of the tension elements 32 without requiring any external coating or jacket over the load bearing member 30. [

In some instances, the woven fibers 34 comprise or comprise an elastomeric material useful for establishing a traction surface 36. One example involves establishing woven fibers 34 of the desired material and then impregnating or coating the fibers with an elastomeric material. Another example includes making each of the woven fibers 34 a plurality of filaments and including filaments made of a selected elastomeric material within each woven fiber 34. One exemplary elastomeric material includes urethane. Thermoplastic polyurethanes are used in one example.

In some instances, the woven fibers 34 include a yarn that is treated with a known sizing material. The sizing in some examples improves the ability to weave tensioning elements 32 and woven fibers together. The sizing in some examples improves the wear characteristics of the woven fibers 34, such as minimizing the fretting or fraying of the woven fibers during use in the elevator system. The sizing in some examples provides the desired traction characteristics on the traction surface 36.

In order to weave the woven fibers 34 and the tension elements 32 together, a variety of different weave patterns may be used. Fig. 2 shows one such exemplary pattern of woven fibers 34. Fig. In this example, the woven fibers 34 exposed at the outer traction surface 36 are generally generally parallel to each other and generally perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the tension elements 32.

Figure 3 schematically shows another exemplary woven pattern partially enlarged to show the relative orientation of the woven fibers 34 relative to one another. (The completed assembly is similar to that shown in Figure 2, (34) and tensile elements (32). In this example, a portion 34a of the woven fibers is disposed generally perpendicular to the direction or length of the yarns of the tension elements 32. [ The remaining portion 34b of the woven fibers is disposed generally perpendicular to the tensile elements 32 and generally perpendicular to the woven fibers 34a. As can be appreciated by comparing Figures 2 and 3, the exemplary woven pattern of Figure 3 differs slightly from the traction surface 36 when the woven fibers 34b are included at the locations exposed at the traction surface 36 Property. In yet another example, the woven fibers 34b are only retained in spaces between the tensioning elements 32 and are not exposed, so they do not affect the contour or texture of the traction surface 36. [

One feature of the example of FIG. 3 is that each of the tension elements 32 includes a coating 40. In one example, the coating portion 40 is a protective coating that prevents corrosion of the material of the tensile elements 32. In another example, the coating portion 40 includes an adhesive that facilitates proper positioning of, or engagement between, the outer surface of the tension elements 32 and the woven fibers 34. In addition, another exemplary coating 40 includes an elastomer, which may be useful in protecting the materials of the tension elements 32 in use in an elevator system. The elastomeric coating 40 may also be used to position the weft fibers 34 in place relative to the tension elements 32 when such a coating 40 is heated after the woven fabric has been established, Lt; / RTI >

In the example of FIG. 2, each of the tension elements 32 includes a plurality of wires formed of strands 32A that are woven together into a single cord. In this example, each of the tension elements 32 includes, for example, a plurality of individual load-bearing strands 32A or wires. In the example shown in Figure 4, the tensile elements 32 are distributed throughout the weave. The tension elements 32 in this example may be of the same size and characteristics as the individual wires or strands in the winding code as included in the example of FIG. The tension elements 32 in the example shown in Fig. 4 may be of a larger size.

One exemplary arrangement as shown in FIG. 4 includes discreet metal wires as tensile elements 32. In one such example, the metal wires have an outer diameter approximately equal to the outer diameter of the woven fibers 34. In yet another example, the woven fibers 34 have a smaller diameter than the tensile elements 32.

The disclosed examples provide a weave fabric as a basis for an elevator load bearing member. They provide the ability to realize an elevator load bearing member having a plurality of tension elements without requiring additional or application of jacket material. Eliminating the requirements for secondary coating or jacketing improves the economics of some manufacturing processes and eliminates the features of these jackets that have been recognized as the cause of problems or disadvantages when used in an elevator system.

One feature of the disclosed examples is that using woven to maintain the tension elements 32 in a desired position relative to each other instead of using a jacket provides greater damping compared to the viscoelastic behavior that exists with the urethane jackets will be. Providing greater damping by using weaving instead of a jacket can reduce noise levels during elevator system operation.

The foregoing description is intended to be illustrative rather than limiting in nature. Variations and modifications to the disclosed examples will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. The scope of legal protection provided for in the present invention can only be determined by the following claims.

Claims (20)

An elongated elevator load bearing member of a traction elevator system comprising:
A plurality of tension elements extending along the length of the load bearing member; And
A plurality of weave fibers traversing the tension elements and being woven with the tension elements,
Wherein the woven fibers maintain a desired spacing and alignment of the tension elements with respect to each other and wherein the woven fibers at least partially cover the tension elements and the woven fibers are exposed and establish an outer traction surface of the load bearing member Elongated elevator load supporting member. The method according to claim 1,
The woven fibers having a thickness sufficient to prevent the tension elements from contacting the engaging component with the traction surface. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the woven fibers comprise a predetermined distance between the woven fibers establishing a surface area of coverage over the tension elements sufficient to prevent the tension elements from contacting the engaging element with the traction surface A three-piece elevator load carrying member arranged in a pattern. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the tension elements comprise a first material and the woven fibers comprise a different second material. 5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the tension elements comprise a metal and the woven fibers are non-metal. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein said woven fibers comprise a yarn and a sizing. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the woven fibers comprise a seal impregnated with an elastomeric material. The method according to claim 1,
Each of the tensioning elements being at least partially coated with an adhesive coating on the tensioning elements, the woven fibers contacting the adhesive coating. The method according to claim 1,
Each of the tension elements being at least partially coated with an elastomeric material. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the woven fibers have a first external dimension and the tension element has a second, larger external dimension. A method of constructing a tall elevator load carrying member of a traction elevator system comprising:
Providing a plurality of tension elements; And
Weaving a plurality of woven fibers with the tension elements,
Due to the weaving step
(I) maintaining a desired spacing and alignment of the tension elements with respect to one another,
(Ii) at least partially covering the tensile elements,
(Iii) establishing an outer traction surface of said load bearing member including exposed fibers of said woven fibers. 12. The method of claim 11,
And at least partially covering the tension elements with the woven fibers having a thickness sufficient to prevent the tension elements from contacting the engaging element with the traction surface. 12. The method of claim 11,
Using a weave pattern comprising a predetermined spacing between the woven fibers establishing a surface area of coverage over the tension elements sufficient to prevent the tension elements from contacting the engaging element with the traction surface, And at least partially covering the elements. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the tension elements comprise a first material and the woven fibers comprise a different second material. 15. The method of claim 14,
Wherein the tension elements comprise a metal and the woven fibers are non-metal. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the woven fibers comprise threads and sizing. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the woven fibers comprise a chamber impregnated with an elastomeric material. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the tension elements are at least partially coated with an adhesive coating prior to the weaving step. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the tension elements are at least partially coated with an elastomeric material prior to the weaving step. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein the woven fibers have a first external dimension and the tension element has a second, larger external dimension.

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