WO2014118013A1

WO2014118013A1 - Elevator

Info

Publication number: WO2014118013A1
Application number: PCT/EP2014/050823
Authority: WO
Inventors: Gabriela Simbierowicz; Panu Ihalainen
Original assignee: Kone Corp
Current assignee: Kone Corp
Priority date: 2013-02-04
Filing date: 2014-01-16
Publication date: 2014-08-07
Anticipated expiration: 2015-08-04
Also published as: US9725283B2; CN104995120B; EP2762435B1; US20160031677A1; CN104995120A; EP2762435A1

Abstract

The invention relates to an elevator comprising a car (10) and a counterweight (12) suspended on hoisting ropes which are driven by a drive machine, which counterweight has a first side (28) facing the elevator car path and a second side (30) opposite to the car path. According to the invention the counterweight comprises at least one connecting passage (24, 26, 32, 34, 36) between the first and second side of the counterweight. With this solution air pressure built between the car and the counterweight when passing in the elevator shaft is reduced and the travel comfort is improved.

Description

Elevator

The present invention refers to an elevator comprising a car and a counterweight suspended on hoisting ropes wh ich are driven by a drive mach ine. The counter- weight has a first side facing the elevator car path and a second side opposite to the car path. Th is is the standard layout for any elevator where the car and the cou nterweight are arranged side by side in an elevator shaft. Particu larly with h igh-rise elevators and fast moving elevators with a velocity of more than 3 m/s, the problem of vibrations and turbu lence occurs when the car and counterweight meet in the shaft travel l ing in opposite d irections.

To solve th is problem, fairings have been mounted to the bottom and top of the elevator car and of the elevator counterweight. These fairings have reduced the problem of the vibrations. Anyway also with the use of fairings, an overpressure is bu i lt between the car and the counterweight when they meet on their tracks travell ing in opposite d irections. Th is overpressure sti l l prod uces vibrations turbu lences and a load on the gu ide rai ls. The JP 2005 1 45645 A and the US 2007/289821 A1 show an elevator accord ing to the preamble of claim 1 . It is object of the present invention to provide an elevator, particu larly a fast moving elevator with a velocity of more than 3 m/s wherein the above mentioned problem is reduced.

Th is object is solved with an elevator accord ing to claim 1 and with a counter- weight according to claim 1 1 . Preferred embodiments are subject matter of the correspond ing dependent claims. I nventive embod iments are also presented in the description part of the present appl ication. The inventive content may also consist of several separate inventions, especial ly if the invention is considered in the l ight of expl icit or impl icit sub-tasks or in respect of advantages or sets of advantages ach ieved. I n th is case, some of the attributes contained in the claims below may be superfluous from the point of view of separate inventive concepts. Within the framework of the basic concept of the invention, features of different embodiments of the invention can be appl ied in conjunction with other embod iments. According to the invention, the counterweight in an elevator of the above- mentioned type comprises connecting passages between the first and second side of the counterweight. These passages serve to lead the air trapped in the gap between the car and counterweight, particularly lateral ly, away from that gap. It is clear for the skil led person that for said purpose the passages have to have a certain cross-sectional area to be able to effectively reduce the pressure in the gap between the car and counterweight when they meet with high velocity travel l ing in opposite directions. Therefore, preferably the passages have a cross-sectional area of at least 5%, better of at least 1 0% of the area of the counterweight's side facing the car path.

Usual ly the counterweight of an elevator is built under use of stacks of weight elements arranged one above the other. Preferably, the passages are provided between these stacks of weight elements. On that behalf e.g. spacers may be located between said stacks of weight elements which keep the stacks apart from each other thus forming the passages. This is a comparably easy and costs-saving sol ution for the provision of the passages. This solution further al lows a comparably free distribution of the passages between the stacks of weight elements. . Instead of stacks of weight elements also one-piece weight elements may be used.

Preferably, the passages are distributed as evenly as possible over the complete area of the counterweight' side facing the car path. Anyway, the amount of passages should be l imited to a certain degree, for example at uppermost 30% of the area of the counterweight's side facing the car path, as to avoid that the length of the counterweight has to be increased unduly because of the provision of the passages.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the counterweight comprises two col umns of stacks of weight elements which columns are arranged side by side and at least one passage is provided between said columns. This arrangement has the advantage that the passage can be made to extend between said two columns along the length of the counterweight. Thus, the air is led away at a location from the gap between car and counterweight at a location (middle of the counter- weight) where the pressure is highest.

Preferably, the counterweight comprises fairings at its top and its bottom as to further reduce turbulences and vibrations occurring because of the high travel velocity of the counterweight.

Preferably, the car comprises fairings at its top and its bottom to reduce the air resistance or aerodynamic drag so as to reduce the vibrations and turbulences occurring during the high-speed travel of the car, particularly when the car and the counterweight meet on their travel in opposite directions.

It is particularly advantageous when the car as wel l as the counterweight have fairings at their top and their bottom which may co-act so as to reduce the aerodynamic drag and to reduce the air pressure between them when they meet during the operation of the elevator.

Preferably, the counterweight comprises at least five passages distributed over the width and length of the counterweight. Via this advantageous homogeneous distribution of the passages over the counterweight the air caught in the gap between the car and the counterweight can easily be guided away. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the passages are labyrinth passages which do not provide a direct (see through) connection from the first to the second side. These labyrinth passages are able to guide the air pressure away from the gap between the car and counterweight and additionally reduce air noise which is caused by the passages when the counterweight is travelling with a high velocity.

In this connection it has to be carried out that the invention is particularly provided for elevators travelling with a high velocity, these are elevators travelling with a velocity of 3 m/s and more, particularly for elevators which are travelling with a velocity of 5 m/s and more.

It shall further be clarified that the above-mentioned preferred embodiments of the invention may be combined with each other as long as there are no technical reasons against such a combination.

The invention also refers to a counterweight comprising connecting passages between the first and second side of the counterweight. Regarding the further details of the passages, reference is made to the above description of the inventive elevator.

The invention is now described by means of an example in connection with a schematic drawing.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a car and counterweight meeting in an eleva- tor shaft,

Fig. 2 a side view of the counterweight with a side facing the elevator car path, and Fig. 3 shows an embodiment with three examples of labyrinth passages for the reduction of air noise.

Fig. 1 shows a car 10 and a counterweight 12 of a traction sheave elevator sus- pended by hoisting ropes. The car and counterweight travel in an elevator shaft (not shown) in opposite directions which are indicated by arrows. The car has upper and lower fairings 14 and the counterweight has upper and lower fairings 1 6 which serve to reduce the aerodynamic drag. The car and counterweight 10, 12 belong to an elevator travelling with a high travel speed of more than 3 or 5 m/s. When the car and counterweight meet on their paths - as it is shown in the figure - the air is pressurized in the gap between the car and counterweight which is indicated by two small horizontal double arrows. This overpressure in the gap between car and counterweight leads to air noise and vibrations. Further this pressure cushion in the gap between car and counterweight causes load and stress to the guide means and the guide rails guiding the elevator car and the counterweight vertically along the elevator shaft. On that behalf, the counterweight 1 2 comprises passages for leading away the trapped air from its first side 28 facing the car path to its second side 30 opposite the car path. The passages are shown in Fig. 2.

In fig. 2 the counterweight is shown from its first side 28 facing the elevator car path. The counterweight 12 is shown here without the fairings 1 6. The counterweight comprises two columns 1 8, 20 with stacks 22 of weight elements arranged vertically one above the other. Between the two columns 1 8, 20, a large longitu- dinal first passage 24 is provided which serves to guide air from the first side shown in the figure to the opposite second side of the counterweight. Further, second passages 26 are provided between the stacks 22 of weight elements which are also configured to lead air from the area between the car and counterweight to the other side of the counterweight. Instead of stacks of weight elements also one piece weight elements 22 may be used. As is may be seen from the figure, the second passages 26 are distributed quite homogeneously over the counterweight area so that the passage of air from the first side 28 of the counterweight to its second side takes 30 place quite homogeneously over the complete counterweight area. In fig. 2, the first passage 24 as wel l as the second passages 26 form direct (see-through) through-holes which directly connect the first side to the second side. Via these passages the air can flow lateral ly away from the gap between car and counterweight without being diverted. This solution offers passages with a low air resistance. Fig. 3 shows alternative embodiments of passages for a connection between the first side 28 and the second side 30 of the counterweight 1 2. The figure shows stacks 22 of weight elements (or one-piece weight elements 22) and in between three different types of labyrinth passages 32, 34 and 36. Al l three embod iments of labyrinth passages 32, 34 and 36 are passages where the first side 28 is not direct- ly (see-through) connected with the second side 30 but so that there are air guides 38 in between. This leads to the fact that one cannot look from the first side to the second side. When air is flowing from the first side to the second side, it is deviated and has to flow around these air guides 38 which leads to a reduction of air noise caused by the passages 32, 34, 36.

These labyrinth passages may also have other geometries than those shown in the examples of the labyrinth passages 32, 34 and 36.

The labyrinth passages can partly or total ly replace the second passages 26 shown in Fig. 2.

It shal l be clear for the skil led person that the above-mentioned embodiments may be combined with each other arbitrarily as long as this is technical ly feasible. The invention can be varied within the scope of the appended patent claims.

Claims

Claims:

1 . Elevator comprising a car (10) and a counterweight (12) suspended on hoisting ropes which are driven by a drive machine, which counterweight has a first side (28) facing the elevator car path and a second side (30) opposite to the car path, wherein the counterweight comprises at least one connecting passage (24, 26, 32, 34, 36) between the first and second side of the counterweight, characterized in that the passages (32, 34, 36) are labyrinth passages in which the air flow between the first (28) and second (30) sides of the counterweight (12) is deflected.

2. Elevator according to claim 1 , wherein the connecting passage (24, 26, 32, 34, 36) provides an essential air flow between the first side and the second side of the counterweight.

3. Elevator according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the passage (24, 26, 32, 34, 36) has a cross-sectional area of at least 5 %, preferably at least 10% of the area of counterweight's side facing the car path.

4. Elevator according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the counterweight comprises stacks (22) of weight elements arranged one above the other and several passages (26, 32, 34, 36) are provided between stacks of said weight elements.

5. Elevator according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the counterweight comprises two columns (18, 20) of stacks (22) of weight elements arranged side by side and that at least one passage (24) is provided between said columns.

6. Elevator according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the counterweight (1 2) comprises fairings (1 6) at its top and its bottom.

7. Elevator according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the car (1 0) comprises fairings (14) at its top and its bottom.

8. Elevator according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the counterweight (1 2) comprises several passages (24, 26, 32, 34, 36) d istributed over the width and length of the counterweight.

9. Elevator according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the counterweight (1 2) comprises several stacks (22) of weight elements guided in at least one frame (1 5; 1 7) of the counterweight and that the passages (24, 26, 32, 34, 36) are formed by d istance elements keeping the stacks of weight elements spaced apart.

1 0. Elevator according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the labyrinth passages (32, 34, 36) air guides 38 by means of which the air flow between the first (28) and second (30) sides of the counterweight (1 2) is deflected.

1 1 . Counterweight (1 2) of an elevator according to one of the preceding claims, having a first side (28) configured to face an elevator car path and a second side (30) configured to be arranged opposite to the car path, wherein the counterweight comprises at least one connecting passage (24, 26, 32, 34, 36) between the first and second side of the counterweight, characterized in that the passages (32, 34, 36) are labyrinth passages in which the air flow between the first (28) and second (30) sides of the counterweight (1 2) is deflected.