WO2015081423A9

WO2015081423A9 - An elevator system (for silos, reservoirs, wind aeolian structures, electric towers, radio towers and frequency signals transmission towers, any other towers and any other high structures) with two emergency breaking safety device, a shock-proof system, a motorised (or engine or electric) winch and two lateral guiding tracks

Info

Publication number: WO2015081423A9
Application number: PCT/CA2014/000880
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jean-François BENOIT
Original assignee: Benoit Jean-François
Priority date: 2013-12-06
Filing date: 2014-12-05
Publication date: 2015-07-09
Also published as: WO2015081423A1; CA2836031C; CA2836031A1

Abstract

An elevator system consisting of a platform guided on two lateral guiding tracks. The elevator is operated by a radio-frequency remote control transmitting to a motorised winch at the ground level of structure. The motorised winch unrolls an operating cable to allow the descent of the elevator platform. The operating cable drives a pulley fixed on a driving shaft at the top of the structure, the driving shaft has an inertia brake attached to a safety cable attached to a hook fixed to a shockproof plate attached underneath the elevator platform by compression springs. A second safety braking device is engaged when two spur gears on driving on a gear track collide together due to compression of the springs when the safety cable is activated.

Description

Title: An elevator system (for silos, reservoirs, wind aeolian structures, electric towers, radio towers and frequency signals transmission towers, any other towers and any other high structures) with two emergency breaking safety device, a shock-proof system, a motorised (or engine or electric) winch and two lateral guiding tracks.

Description:

Technical field application:

This invention relates to elevator for one person or many persons in application for silos, reservoirs, wind Aeolian structures, electric towers, radio towers and frequency signals transmission towers, any other towers and any other high structures used in commercial, agricultural and farming, institutional, governmental and industrial activities. The elevator is operated and controlled with a radio-frequency control to an electric winch at ground level. The two safety breaking devices are meant to be patented to meet the requirements of the safety agencies as the Regie du Bailment du Quebec and such equivalent offices of other governments of other provinces in Canada and of other government safety and regulation agencies of foreign countries and also to meet the CSA standards for operating an elevator system for individuals.

Resume of the invention:

The major problem encountered with elevators is the need of a safety breaking device to avoid the free falling of the elevator in case of the rupture of the operating steel cable. The invention here designed gathers two safety breaking devices and a shock-proof system to avoid the rupture of the safety steel cable in case of the free falling of the elevator platform.

A first breaking device designed and activated by an inertia break at the top of structure when excessive speed rotation of steel shaft is happening, engage really quickly to stop the rotation

RECTIFIED SHEET (RULE 91.1) suddenly without decelerating delay as a braking system engaging in opposite forces and locking into a special protected design but really safe and designed to support an accurate weight capacity strong enough for the designed elevator platform and the people capacity of the elevator platform. Both kinds of cable, the operating and the safety device breaking cable are independent from each other, then providing more reliable source of safety since only the steel shaft is the intermediate between those two kinds of cable; the operating cable does not engage directly the safety cable here, no operating cable at all or a breaking of the operating cable on the upper steel shaft would not affect the good function of the inertia break neither the safety cable and the rest of the elevator mechanism and would not also damage the mechanics of the elevator system. After the braking of the inertia break or many inertia breaks, then the shock-proof system absorb the shock of a sudden stop of the safety steel cable.

Finally, the second safety breaking device is activated when the two spur gears collide and then lock the elevator on the steel gear track (or gear rack) with teeth. A safety trap on elevator floor can be lifted and allows the individuals to go down with the ladder bars on the structure and the ladder bar underneath the safety trap.

Another problem encountered here is the operation and control of the operating motorised (or engine or electric) winch distant from the individuals taking place in the elevator, here resolved by the use of a radio-frequency or any other frequency remote (or pad) controlled electric winch.

RECTIFIED SHEET (RULE 91.1) Lesends for parts numerals related to drawinss/Fisures:

A) Related to drawing/Figure # 1: Title of Figure #7 : Frontal view of the elevator system

1 -Pillow block bearing 21 - Steel rod

2- Pulley fixed on shaft 22- Steel bushing

3 - Drum 23 - Shock-proof steel plate

4- Inertia break (...)

5- Steel shaft 25- Steel hook half ring

6- Mounted blocks 26- Steel cable clamp

7- Mounted blocks 27- Radio controlled winch

8- Rubber bumpers 28- Steel cable for operation of elevator

9- Steel H beam or steel linear motion track platform

profiles 29- Radio frequency control to winch

10- Steel plate for bogeys (...)

11 - Rollers 37- Steel ramp bars or plates

12- Fixing steel plate with hooks (...)

13 - Steel gear rack (or track) with teeth 39- Steel union plate for bogeys

14- Steel corner brackets 40- Ladder bars fixed on structure

15 - Elevator floor 41 - Steel cable for safety break

16- Spur gear attached to elevator floor 42- Steel hook half ring to attach steel cable

17- Steel corner brackets 43 - Retaining steel cable

18- Steel shaft 44- Steel hooks half rings

19- Spur gear attached to shock-proof steel 45- Welded steel plates fixed by bolts on plate structure

20- Compression springs

RECTIFIED SHEET (RULE 91.1) B) Related to drawing/Figure # 2: Title of Figure # 2: Top aerial view of the elevator platform

15-Steel checker plate or other material for elevator floor

(...)

24-Ladder rung fixed on elevator floor

(...)

30- Steel hinges

31 - Plastic or steel or other material for retainer for steel arm

32- Steel or other material for handle

33 -Steel checker plate or other material for elevator floor and safety trap

34- Steel angle with steel side plate for anchor to steel arm

35- Steel hook half ring

36- Steel or other material for a supporting arm

37- Steel ramp bars or plates

38- Steel safety ramp

RECTIFIED SHEET (RULE 91.1) Brief description of drawings:

Figure 1 is a frontal view of the elevator system Figure 2 is a top aerial view of the elevator platform

Detailed description of drawings with references:

Figure 1 is a frontal view of the elevator system for a high structure. The elevator platform floor 15 made of checker steel plate, the safety steel ramp 38 and the steel ramp bars or plates 37 are attached to four bogeys 10 with rollers 1 1 or balls by steel union plates 39 and by steel corner brackets 14. The bogeys 10 slides downward or upward onto the two lateral guiding devices 9 made of steel H beams or steel linear motion track profiles fixed on the structure by welded steel plates 45 to the guiding device 9 and bolted or attached by welding to the structure. The elevator platform 15 is then operated and controlled by a radio-frequency remote (or pad) control 29 transmitting operation to the radio-frequency controlled motorised (or engine or electric) winch 27 at ground level. When the motorised (or engine or electric) winch 27 unrolls the operating steel cable 28 it allows the elevator platform 15 to go downward and when the electric winch 27 rolls the operating steel cable 28 it allows the elevator platform 15 to go upward. Rubber bumpers or compression springs 8 are fixed to the structure on mounted blocks 7 at ends of the guiding steel H beams or guiding steel linear motion track profiles 9 to stop the sliding of bogeys 10 and of the shock-proof safety steel plate 23. Fixing steel plates 12 are tightened with screws or bolts to the steel gear track (or gear rack) with teeth 13 and attached to ladder bars 40 by steel hooks half rings (U-Bolts). The operating steel cable 28 attached to the elevator steel floor 15 by a steel hook half ring (U-Bolt) 42 also drives a fixed pulley 2 on driving steel shaft 5 and also drives the steel drum 3 which unrolls the same free length of the safety steel cable 41 when elevator platform 15 is going downward and rolls the same length of the safety steel cable 41 when elevator platform 15 is going upward. The operating steel driving shaft 5 at the top of the

RECTIFIED SHEET (RULE 91.1) structure is allowed to rotate free inside 2 sided pillow block bearings 1 mounted on mounted blocks 6. The use of an inertia break 4 will stop the rotation of the operating steel shaft 5 when excessive speed rotation is happening in case of the rupture of the operating steel cable 28 and the free falling of the elevator platform 15 demanding acceleration of the unrolling of the safety steel cable 41. The stop of the rotation of operating steel shaft 5 will stop unrolling of the safety steel cable 41 and then engaged the shock-proof safety steel plate 23 attached to safety steel cable 41 by steel hook half ring 25 and by steel cable clamps 26 to stop its descent onto the steel gear track (or gear rack) with teeth 13 and stop the rotation of the spur gear attached to steel shaft 18 and steel corner brackets 17 fixed to shock-proof safety steel plate 23. Since the elevator platform 15 will continue to go downward, the compression springs 20 will compress and absorb the shock and then steel rods 21 will insert the steel bushings 22 allowing the shock-proof safety steel plate 23 and the spur gear 19 attached to it to collide with the spur gear 16 attached to elevator platform 15. When the collision happens between the two spur gears 16 and 19, the system is locked on the steel gear track (or gear rack) with teeth 13 and the free falling of the elevator platform 15 is stopped. Then, people taking place in the elevator can lift an emergency safety trap in the elevator floor 15 and go down with ladder rung or bar 24 underneath safety trap and ladder bars 40 fixed to the structure to get to the ground level safely. To retain the shock-proof safety steel plate 23 to fall down free, two retaining steel cables 43 are attached to elevator steel floor 15 and two steel hooks half ring (U-Bolts) 44 fixed to the shock-proof safety steel plate and locked with steel cable clamps 26.

Figure 2 is a top aerial view of the elevator platform floor. The main floor of the elevator 15 is made of checker steel plate. Fixed to the main floor of the elevator 15 are the steel ramp bars or plates 37 and the safety steel ramp 38. In the elevator platform floor 15 is an emergency safety trap 33 that can be lifted manually by the steel handle 32 and there is a steel arm 36 that can be released from its plastic retainer for steel arm 31 and then rotates from its fixing steel hook half ring (U-Bolt) 35to engage in the steel angle with steel side plate 34 for an anchor to steel arm 36. Other Previous Techniques (other inventions and patents):

As explained by Joe C. Pohlman in the U.S. patent number 3,908,801 granted on the 30 ¹ of September 1975, concerning many various previous techniques and assemblies of elevators, the two major problems encountered with all types of those elevators is the danger of sudden brake of the power cable of the elevator and the lack of safety breaking system to avoid a sudden overspeed fall of the elevator and the people inside of it and the other problem is the unsafely way for people stuck in an elevator stopped midway or very high on the structure to get out of the elevator and to reach the ladder to get down manually on the ground after.

With the invention of Mr. Pohlman, many things must be analysed very accurately in its invention to consider the danger remaining with his elevator system with hoist car, cables and braking pad shoes system engaging to appreciate more the risk of failing of his elevator system, although his system for that time was very innovative compared to more ancient invention of other elevators.

First, his invention is only relying on a few quantities of power and safety cables. On the patent drawing of Mr. Pohlman, there is one cable for the powering upward or downward of the elevator in the middle and in the front of the ladder between the ladder and the hoist car, and also two cables for the safety of the breaking emergency system. It is at first look quite good, but not enough for a total safety of the passengers. An explanation of the danger of the breaking system of his invention is that the three cables are not independent from each other, somehow if the power cable brakes, then all the tension on the hoist shaft on the ground will be giving forces in the same rotation direction on the shaft, giving then for sure many Newtons more on the shaft due to the weight of the elevator and the speed of the falling elevator and therefore not having opposite forces of different cables rotating and unrolling and rolling in opposite direction on the shaft anymore. This might cause the shaft to brake or to unroll free then for the safety cables after the brake of the power cable. Patent offices and people should note also the mistake in his invention and patent drawing as the power cable does not look to roll onto the shaft #78 on figure

RECTIFIED SHEET (RULE 91.1) #1 but seems to go that way on figure # 2 as the power cable goes from pulley or shaft # 74 to main hoist shaft or pulley # 78. Third, his invention relies partially onto only one engaging fork mbbing the powering cable to engage the emergency brake pad shoes onto the ladder tracks. If the power cable does brake, nothing is sure that the fork will rub long enough the broken power cable to engage the braking system, neither that the overspeed of the falling elevator and its power cable will engage the fork and the braking system that way, the power cable could easily go through the fork and not engage the braking system since all the pulleys are fixed inside the elevator on figure # 5 and on some fixed brackets, depending on the travel between those fixed pulleys, not many variance in the angle of the cable could be seen to force the fork to rub and engage after the braking system. Also, his invention relies on some braking pad shoes rubbing the tracks of the ladder, supposed to be made out of metal to last longer and safer in case of emergency braking. For sure, people know that brake pad shoes rubbing metal as for brakes on cars and trucks need to rub for a couple seconds before the vehicle is really stopped, this phenomenon could be called the braking decelerating delay. Nothing is sure that the braking pad shoes will have long enough to decelerate and then after stop the elevator, neither that the tracks of the ladder or the braking pad shoes are still in good conditions to serve well in case of emergency falling. Finally, with his invention, Mr. Pohlman is fixing the elevator with a pair of rolling pulley both at 45 degrees facing the angle of each side of the track ladder, on both side of the ladder for a total of 4 pulleys, at least on the top of his elevator, this arrangement could cause the elevator and his metal pulleys for riding the tracks to encounter some slack of the pulleys onto many tracks upward not fixed so well in their alignment, neither that normal wear of the pulleys and brackets sustaining the pulleys could allow the elevator to disengage from the tracks of the ladder, and on top of it, the mounting tracks of the ladder should suffer very rapid wear of the riding and rubbing of the pulleys and braking pad shoes onto the tracks related to normal and additive using and operation of the elevator that might causes the ladder to become rapidly unusable and not safe at all because of constant wear, friction and rubbing from metal onto metal. Finally, but not to be forget, the falling of his elevator could hurt people inside the elevator in case of an overspeed falling before the final stopping of his elevator.

RECTIFIED SHEET (RULE 91.1)

Claims

Claims;

1- An elevator system (for silos, reservoirs, wind Aeolian structures, electric towers, radio towers and frequency signals transmission towers, any other towers and any other high structures used in commercial, agricultural and farming, institutional, governmental and industrial activities) with two emergency breaking safety devices, a shock-proof system, a motorised (or engine or electric) winch and two lateral guiding tracks. The elevator system is operated by a radio-frequency remote (or pad) control to a motorised (or engine or electric) winch at the ground level of the structure or anywhere else, like at top of the structure. The motorised (or engine or electric) winch unrolls a steel cable to allow the descent of the elevator platform and the sliding of the bogeys along the lateral guiding tracks. The motorised (or engine or electric) winch rolls the steel cable to allow the ascension of the elevator platform and the sliding of the bogeys along the lateral guiding tracks. The operating steel cable drives a fixed pulley on the driving steel shaft at the top of the structure, but there could be also two or more steel shaft, like some steel shafts somewhere else on the structure or at the bottom of structure. On the driving steel shaft at the top of the structure is also there a steel drum to allow unrolling and rolling of a second steel cable standing for a first safety breaking device activated by the inertia break or many inertia break and safety breaking device cables which stops rotation on the driving steel shaft at excessive speed rotation of the driving steel shaft if a rupture happens on the operating steel cable and engage the free falling of the elevator platform. The inertia breaks are commonly mechanically designed to engage and lock at a given and predetermined excessive rotation speed and not thereby bringing rapid wear on the structure of the elevator system or of the ladder. The safety steel cable is attached to a steel hook fixed to a shock-proof steel plate attached underneath the elevator platform by compression springs and guided by steel rods inserting steel bushings avoiding the elevator platform to encounter a too risky high sudden pressure on the steel safety cable and to avoid the break of the safety cable after the sudden stopping of the rotation of the shaft, of the inertia break and of the safety cable. The shock-proof safety steel plate is retained by two fixed steel cables attached to elevator platform and to a steel hook half ring (U-Bolt) mounted on the shock-proof safety steel plate.

RECTIFIED SHEET (RULE 91.1) The second safety breaking device is engaged when the two spur gears collides together after the compression of the springs when the safety steel cable ask to stop the free falling of the shock-proof steel plate and because the two opposite spur gears are taking two different directions onto the steel gear track (or gear rack) with teeth and also two different rotating direction; one spur, gear is going down and the other spur gear is stopping its rotation. When the emergency break is on for the elevator to stop its free falling, the safety trap on elevator floor can be lifted manually and be blocked by engaging the retainer steel arm in the comer steel angle and sided steel plate to allow the persons to evacuate by the ladders fixed on the structure and the ladder bar underneath safety trap. Bringing upward forces to the elevator with the installation of a new powering and operating cable should allow the two breaking safety devices to unlock and disengage and then allow the normal operation of the elevator.

2- The lateral guiding tracks can be made of H beams or linear motion track profiles and both can be made of steel, aluminum, other metals, PVC (Polyvinyl Chlorate) or any other plastics or of wood and could be part of the ladder as well.

3 - The gear track (or gear rack) with teeth can be made of steel, aluminum, other metals, PVC (Polyvinyl Chlorate) or any other plastics or of wood.

4- The elevator platform floor, the safety ramp and its ramp bars or plates can be made of steel, aluminum, other metals, PVC (Polyvinyl Chlorate) or any other plastics or of wood.

5- Rollers of the bogeys and/or bogeys can be made of steel, aluminum, other metals, PVC (Polyvinyl Chlorate) or other plastics such as UHMW or rubber or tires or even woods or any other element or compound.

6- The remote control of the motorised (or engine or electric) winch can be a radio-frequency transmitter, a microwave frequency transmitter or of any other frequency level transmitter developed and could be also linked to the winch hoist with a cable, electric or not.

RECTIFIED SHEET (RULE 91.1) 7- Ladder bars can be made of steel, aluminum, other metals, PVC (Polyvinyl Chlorate) or other plastics such as UHMW.

8- Winch can be motorised or electric or engine or powered by any combustible matters such as fuel or diesel for distant structure to electric supply.

9- Rods and bushings can be made of steel, aluminum, other metals or PVC (Polyvinyl Chlorate) or other plastics such as UHMW.

10- Bumpers at the end of guiding tracks are usually made out of rubber or any other element or compound and can be changed for compression springs or both together can be used.

RECTIFIED SHEET (RULE 91.1) Repeated Claims (with referenced part numbers related to figures):

1- An elevator system (for silos, reservoirs, wind Aeolian structures, electric towers, radio towers and frequency signals transmission towers, any other towers and any other high structures used in commercial, agricultural and farming, institutional, governmental and industrial activities) with two emergency breaking safety device, a shock-proof system, a motorised (or engine or electric) winch and two lateral guiding tracks. The elevator system is operated by a radio-frequency remote (or pad) control 29 to a motorised (or engine or electric) winch 27 at the ground level of the structure or anywhere else, like at top of the structure. The motorised (or engine or electric) winch 27 unrolls a steel cable 28 to allow the descent of the elevator platform 15 and the sliding of the bogeys 10 along the lateral guiding tracks 9. The electric winch 27 rolls the steel cable 28 to allow the ascension of the elevator platform 15 and the sliding of the bogeys 10 along the lateral guiding tracks 9. The operating steel cable 28 drives a fixed pulley 2 on the driving steel shaft 5 at the top of structure, but there could be also two or more steel shaft, like some steel shafts somewhere else on the structure or at the bottom of structure. On the driving steel shaft 5 at the top of the structure is also there a steel drum 3 to allow unrolling and rolling of a second steel cable 41 standing for a first safety breaking device activated by the inertia break 4 or many inertia break and safety breaking device cables which stops rotation on the driving steel shaft 5 at excessive speed rotation of the driving steel shaft 5 if a rupture happens on the operating steel cable 28 and engage the free falling of the elevator platform 15. The inertia breaks are commonly mechanically designed to engage and lock at a given and predetermined excessive rotation speed and not thereby bringing rapid wear on the structure of the elevator system or of the ladder. The safety steel cable 4 lis attached to a steel hook 25 fixed to a shock-proof steel plate 23 attached underneath the elevator platform 15 by compression springs 20 and guided by steel rods 21 inserting steel bushings 22 avoiding the elevator platform to encounter a too risky high sudden pressure on the steel safety cable and to avoid the break of the safety cable after the sudden stopping of the rotation of the shaft, of the inertia break and of the safety cable. The shock-proof safety steel plate 23 is retained by two fixed steel cables 43 attached to elevator platform 15 and to a steel hook half ring (U-Bolt) 44 mounted on the shock-proof safety steel plate 23. The second safety breaking device is engaged when the two spur gears 16 and 19 collides together after the compression of the springs 20 when the safety steel cable 41 ask to stop the free falling of the shock-proof steel plate 23 and because the two opposite spur gears 16 and 19 are taking two different directions onto the steel gear track (or gear rack) with teeth 13 and also two different rotating directions; one spur gear 16 is going down and the other spur gear 19 is stopping its rotation. When the emergency break is on for the elevator to stop its free falling, the safety trap 33 on elevator floor can be lifted manually and be blocked by engaging the retainer steel arm 36 in the corner steel angle and sided steel plate 34 to allow the persons to evacuate by the ladder bars 40 fixed on the structure and the ladder bar 24 underneath safety trap 33. Bringing upward forces to the elevator with the installation of a new powering and operating cable should allow the two breaking safety devices to unlock and disengage and then allow the normal operation of the elevator.

2- The lateral guiding tracks 9 can be made of H beams or linear motion track profiles and both can be made of steel, aluminum, other metals, PVC (Polyvinyl Chlorate) or any other plastics or of wood and could be part of the ladder as well.

3- The gear track (or gear rack) with teeth 13 can be made of steel, aluminum, other metals, PVC (Polyvinyl Chlorate) or any other plastics or of wood.

4- The elevator platform floor 15, the safety ramp 38 and its ramp bars or plates 37 can be made of steel, aluminum, other metals, PVC (Polyvinyl Chlorate) or any other plastics or of wood.

5- Rollers 1 1 of the bogeys 10 and/or bogeys 10 can be made of steel, aluminum, other metals, PVC (Polyvinyl Chlorate) or other plastics such as UHMW or rubber or tires or even woods or any other element or compound. 6- The remote (or pad) control 29 of the motorised (or engine or electric) winch can be a radio- frequency transmitter, a microwave frequency transmitter or of any other frequency level transmitter developed and could be also linked to the winch hoist with a cable, electric or not.

7- Ladder bars 40 and 24 can be made of steel, aluminum, other metals, PVC (Polyvinyl Chlorate) or other plastics such as UHMW.

8- Winch 27 can be motorised or electric or engine or powered by any combustible matters such as fuel or diesel for distant structure to electric supply.

9- Rods 21 and bushings 22 can be made of steel, aluminum, other metals or PVC (Polyvinyl Chlorate) or other plastics such as UHMW.

10- Rubber bumpers 8 can be changed by compression springs 20 or both together can be used.