Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B66—HOISTING; LIFTING; HAULING
  • B66B—ELEVATORS; ESCALATORS OR MOVING WALKWAYS
  • B66B11/00—Main component parts of lifts in, or associated with, buildings or other structures
  • B66B11/02—Cages, i.e. cars
  • B66B11/0226—Constructional features, e.g. walls assembly, decorative panels, comfort equipment, thermal or sound insulation
  • B66B11/0246—Maintenance features
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B66—HOISTING; LIFTING; HAULING
  • B66B—ELEVATORS; ESCALATORS OR MOVING WALKWAYS
  • B66B5/00—Applications of checking, fault-correcting, or safety devices in elevators
  • B66B5/0043—Devices enhancing safety during maintenance
  • B66B5/005—Safety of maintenance personnel
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B66—HOISTING; LIFTING; HAULING
  • B66B—ELEVATORS; ESCALATORS OR MOVING WALKWAYS
  • B66B19/00—Mining-hoist operation
  • B66B19/007—Mining-hoist operation method for modernisation of elevators

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a method as defined in the preamble of claim 1 and to an arrangement as defined in the preamble of claim 5 for forming a safety space in the lower part of an elevator shaft.
• a safety space in the lower part of an elevator shaft is implemented, if possible, by making the pit forming a safety space deep enough so that a "safety cube" of a size of at least 500*600*800 mm as required by elevator regulations can be fitted in it at least with the shortest side upward.
• the problem with this solution is the increased depth of the pit and, especially in the case of modernization, the difficulty of making the pit and a costly implementation.
• the elevator shaft is pro- vided with safety buffers which in a normal situation are in a lying position on the shaft bottom, and which the serviceman raises to an upright position as he enters the elevator shaft from the bottom floor to carry out maintenance work or similar operations.
• the length of the safety buffers is so designed that, in a failure situation, the elevator car or counterweight can not fall too far down causing injury to a person on the shaft bottom.
• this solution involves the drawback that the safety buffers and their pivot structure occupy some space on the shaft bottom even during normal elevator opera- tion, so this solution is not applicable in implementations required in the case of a very small shaft bottom space.
• a safety system provided between the elevator car and a shaft wall stops the elevator at a certain height from the shaft bottom when necessary.
• the system comprises stopper elements fixedly mounted on an outer wall of the elevator car or on the car frame and support pillars of a certain length placed on the shaft bottom.
• the support pillars are turned aside from under the stopper elements .
• the support pillars are turned into an upright position, thus preventing the elevator car from descending too far down in the shaft.
• the drawback is a complicated and expensive structure because the solution requires several stoppers and switches and other components in order to be functional.
• Special buffer arrangements in general have the drawback of requiring an expensive and complicated structure.
• a further disadvantage common to special buffers and other support solu- tions is that they limit the distance of elevator travel during maintenance operation so that it is shorter than the traveling distance from the top floor to the bottom floor. Therefore, during inspection and maintenance operation, the eleva- tor can only be driven through a distance somewhat less than the entire normal traveling distance.
• the object of the invention is to eliminate the above- mentioned drawbacks and to achieve an economical, reliable and easy-to-use method and arrangement for forming a safety space in the lower part of an elevator shaft.
• the method of the invention is characterized by what is presented in the characterization part of claim 1 and the arrangement of the invention is characterized by what is presented in the characteri- zation part of claim 5.
• Other embodiments of the invention are characterized by what is presented in the other claims.
• the method of the invention has the advantage that, with a simple structure, a safety space as required by the norms can be provided in the lower part of even a low-rise elevator shaft.
• the solution of the invention is excellently suited for elevators to be modernized and especially for so-called rucksack-type elevators, in which both the buffer and the hoisting point of the car are located in the rear part of the car, the space under the car floor being a continuous space without a car frame intermediate bearer and without a buffer in the middle of the pit.
• a further advantage is that no extra structures are needed on the bottom of the pit, so the depth of the pit required is very small, thus allowing the elevator car to go as far down as possible in normal operation.
• the pit need not have a depth larger than that required by normal buffers and passages.
• Fig. 1 presents an elevator car requiring prior-art solutions, in simplified and sectioned side view
• Fig. 2 presents a safety solution according to the invention in simplified and sectioned side view.
• an elevator car 2 is seen in an elevator shaft 1, at a position near the bottom floor 4.
• elevator car refers to all types of car solutions, e.g. those comprising a car frame around the car.
• elevator car it refers to all types of car solutions, e.g. those comprising a car frame around the car.
• safety buffers or support pillars as used in prior art are needed, or the pit 5 has to be made deeper as necessary.
• Fig. 2 presents a solution according to the invention, in which the load-bearing floor 3 of the elevator car 2, or a part of it, is so implemented that it can be turned about a joint 8 into an upright position or a nearly upright position.
• the joint 8 serving as a hinge is located at the front edge of the elevator car, so that when the floor 3 is raised to the upright position, it simultaneously prevents entry into the elevator car during maintenance operations .
• the car is provided with a limit switch 7, which is so disposed that the raised floor 3 will activate the switch when the floor is in the intended raised position.
• the solution is so implemented that maintenance operation is only possible after the limit switch 7 has been activated. This ensures that the floor can not remain in the position for normal operation and entry into the car is obstructed during maintenance operation.
• the elevator car is provided with a horizontal safety batten 6, which is placed near the junction between the back wall and the floor and is always mounted in place when the floor is in the normal position.
• the batten is so fastened that it will be released by an upward force of suitable magnitude applied to the floor.
• the force applied to the floor from below will release the batten and the floor will turn upward about its joint 8.
• a safety space is formed in the lower part of the elevator shaft by driving the elevator car 2 to a suitable position in the shaft and raising the car floor 3 at least so far up that the required safety space height is reached in the lowest position of the elevator car.
• the raising of the floor is preferably implemented by turning the floor upward by its back edge about the hinge 8 at the front edge of the car.
• the elevator system is informed via the limit switch 7 that the floor 3 is in the position required for maintenance operation or a similar action.
• the floor can be raised manually. To do this, first the safety batten 6 is released, whereupon the floor is turned to its raised position, in which the floor can be locked.
• the inven- tion is not limited to the example described above, but that it may be varied within the scope of the claims presented below.
• the structure of the safety arrangement may differ from that described above in that, instead of a hinged floor, the elevator car is provided with a floor that can be raised straight upward by four points.
• the limit switch 7 is so disposed that it will only be acti- vated when the floor is in the intended raised position.
• the floor may consist of e.g. two parts, in which case the floor is turned up from the center either towards the front and rear edges of the car or towards the side walls of the car.
• the floor need not necessarily be completely removed aside from its position over the safety space. In the case of large cars it may suffice that only a sufficient part of the floor is removed, raised or turned aside to form the required safety space.
• the floor may also have a telescoping structure, allowing the floor to be retracted horizontally to positions as close as possible to opposite walls of the car. Likewise, the hinge can then be placed elsewhere than at the very edge of the floor.

Landscapes

• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Civil Engineering (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Structural Engineering (AREA)
• Cage And Drive Apparatuses For Elevators (AREA)
• Maintenance And Inspection Apparatuses For Elevators (AREA)

Priority Applications (2)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=8561729

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (6)

Cited By (4)

Families Citing this family (7)

Citations (5)

• 2001
  • 2001-08-13 FI FI20011635A patent/FI115625B/fi not_active IP Right Cessation
• 2002
  • 2002-08-09 DE DE60208043T patent/DE60208043T2/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2002-08-09 CN CN 02815838 patent/CN1291905C/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2002-08-09 EP EP02755043A patent/EP1417149B1/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2002-08-09 ES ES02755043T patent/ES2252496T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 2002-08-09 WO PCT/FI2002/000658 patent/WO2003016192A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation

Patent Citations (5)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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