LIFT SYSTEM

Abstract

An elevator system includes a first lane oriented in a first direction, a second lane oriented in a second direction, a car configured to travel in the first and second lanes, a repositioning unit configured to reposition the car from the first lane to the second lane and from the second lane to the first lane, and a plurality of guide rails disposed in each of the first and second lanes that are configured to guide the car along each of the first lane and the second lane. The plurality of guide rails includes a plurality of rucksack guide rails configured to guide the car when it is at least one of already on the repositioning unit, entering the repositioning unit, or exiting the repositioning unit, and a plurality of lateral guide rails configured to guide the car when it is not in the repositioning unit.

Claims

1.-13. (canceled)

14. An elevator system, comprising: a first lane oriented in a first direction; a second lane oriented in a second direction; a car configured to travel in said first and second lanes; a repositioning unit configured to reposition said car from said first lane to said second lane and from said second lane to said first lane; and a plurality of guide rails disposed in each of said first and second lanes that are configured to guide said car along each of said first lane and said second lane, said plurality of guide rails including, a plurality of rucksack guide rails configured to guide said car when said car is at least one of already on said repositioning unit, entering said repositioning unit, or exiting said repositioning unit, and a plurality of lateral guide rails configured to guide said car when it is not in the repositioning unit.

15. The elevator system of claim 14, further comprising: a lateral guide rail gap defined, in a direction of said first lane, between two lateral guide rails adjacently disposed vertically above one another.

16. The elevator system of claim 15, wherein a gap height of the lateral guide rail gap is greater than a height of the car.

17. The elevator system of claim 14, further comprising: an overlapping region which, when said car is located within said overlapping region, said car is guided by both of at least one of said rucksack guide rails and by at least one of said lateral guide rails.

18. The elevator system of claim 14, wherein said first lane and said second lane are configured such that, while said car is moving in either of said first or second lane and positioned within said repositioning unit, said car is constantly guided by at least one of said rucksack guide rails or said lateral guide rails.

19. The elevator system of claim 14, further comprising: a repositioning assembly including, at least two repositioning units disposed in said second lane, and a plurality of guide rails disposed along said second lane between said two repositioning units, said repositioning assembly being configured to, reposition said car from said first lane oriented in the first direction, to an adjacent third lane also oriented in the first direction, and guide said car solely by said rucksack guide rails during a transfer of said car between said two repositioning units.

20. A method for repositioning a car from a first lane to a second and/or third lane in an elevator system of claim 14, the method comprising: guiding the car on lateral guide rails along the first lane; transferring the car from the lateral guide rails to rucksack guide rails; transferring the car to the second lane; and guiding the car in the second lane on rucksack guide rails.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising: transferring the car to a third lane.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said transferring of the car to the third lane is performed by guiding the car on rucksack guide rails into the third lane.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising: transferring the car from the rucksack guide rails in the third lane, to lateral guide rails in the third lane; and guiding the car on the lateral guide rails along the third lane.

24. A method for moving a car of the elevator system of claim 14across a repositioning unit disposed in a first lane, the method comprising: guiding the car on a first set of lateral guide rails in the first lane; transferring the car from the first set of lateral guide rails in the first lane to rucksack guide rails in the first lane; guiding the car along the rucksack guide rails and across a repositioning unit in the first lane; transferring the car from the rucksack guide rails in the first lane to a second set of lateral guide rails in the first lane; and guiding the car along the second set of lateral guide rails in the first lane.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the car is not stopped between the step of guiding the car on a first set of lateral guide rails in the first lane and the intermediate step of transferring the car from the first set of lateral guide rails in the first lane to rucksack guide rails in the first lane.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the car travels at a constant speed between the step of guiding the car on a first set of lateral guide rails in the first lane and the intermediate step of transferring the car from the first set of lateral guide rails in the first lane to rucksack guide rails in the first lane.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0020] The invention is explained in greater detail below with the help of the figures. They each show schematically

[0021] FIG. 1 details of an elevator system according to the invention as a perspective representation;

[0022] FIG. 2 the elevator system according to FIG. 1 as a schematic front view;

[0023] FIG. 3 a different position of the rail guide of the cars shown in FIG. 2 as a simplified plan view.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0024] FIGS. 1 and 2 show parts of an elevator system 1 according to the invention. The elevator system 1 comprises a plurality of lanes 2H, 2V, along which a plurality of cars 5a-5h is guided.

[0025] A plurality of vertical lanes 2V, in this case two, for example, is oriented in a first direction along which the car 5 can be moved between different stories. Horizontal lanes 2H are arranged between the two vertical lanes 2V, along which the car 5 can be moved within a story in each case. In addition, the horizontal lane 2H connects the two vertical lanes 2V to one another. Consequently, the horizontal lane 2H is also used to transfer the car 5 between the two vertical lanes 2V, in order to realize a modern paternoster operation, for example. Further horizontal lanes 2H of this kind, which connect the two vertical guide rails to one another, are provided in the elevator system 1. In addition, further vertical lanes 2V which are not depicted may be provided.

[0026] Guide rails 21V, 22V, 22H, 22D for guiding the cars are provided along the lanes 2V, 2H. The cars have guide rollers 51 for this purpose, which are depicted in FIG. 1 for guidance on the rail 21V, for example.

[0027] The guide rails comprise rucksack guide rails 22V, 22H, 22D. Rucksack guide rails are arranged on a common side of the car. The car 5, in particular the center of gravity of the car 5, is arranged in a constantly projecting manner in this case. The weight force is transmitted to the rucksack guide rails through the introduction of bending moments.

[0028] The rucksack guide rails comprise fixed vertical rucksack guide rails 22V which are oriented along the vertical lane. The rucksack guide rails comprise fixed horizontal rucksack guide rails 22H which are oriented along the horizontal lane 2H.

[0029] The car can be repositioned from one of the vertical lanes 2V to the other of the vertical lanes 2V via a repositioning assembly 3.

[0030] The repositioning assembly 3 comprises two repositioning units 30 and a horizontal rucksack guide rail 22H. The car 5 can be transferred between one of the vertical rucksack guide rail 22V and the horizontal rucksack guide rail 22H in each case via the repositioning units 30. The repositioning unit 30 in this case comprises a rotatable rucksack guide rail 22D.

[0031] All guide rails are installed at least indirectly in a shaft wall 20. Up to this point, the elevator system basically corresponds to the description given in WO 2015/144781 A1 and also in DE10 2016 211 997A1 and DE 10 2015 218 025 A1.

[0032] The guide rails further comprise vertical lateral guide rails 21V. Two vertical lateral guide rails 21V in each case are attached to opposite sides of the car 5. The center of gravity of the car 5 is substantially arranged between the vertical guide rails (viewed in the y-direction). It is self-evident that particularly due to the design and/or load, the center of gravity of the car 5 at least in twos is not exactly arranged between the vertical lateral guide rails 21V (centered with the vertical lateral guide rails in x direction). Vertical lateral guide rails 21V of this kind have a variety of isolated uses in traditional elevator systems.

[0033] The special feature of the invention lies in an alternating arrangement of vertical lateral guide rails 21V and vertical rucksack guide rails 22V along the vertical lane 2V. Hence, the vertical rucksack guide rails 22V are arranged in the region of the repositioning units 30; the vertical lateral guide rails 21V span the region between two repositioning units 30.

[0034] The vertical lateral guide rails 21V are interrupted in the region of the repositioning units 30. To this extent, the repositioning units 30 are each arranged in a lateral guide rail gap 21L. Consequently, the vertical lateral guide rails 21V do not obstruct the lateral transfer of the car 5.

[0035] A gap height H21L of the lateral guide rail gap 21L is greater than the height H5 of the car. Consequently, the car fits through the lateral guide rail gap 21L during the lateral transfer action.

[0036] In the region of the repositioning assembly 3, the use of the rucksack guide rails facilitates a rapid repositioning of the car 5 between the vertical lanes 2V. It is essential in this case for a kind of swinging cage to be used which receives the car during the repositioning between lanes, as explained in the introduction to EP 3 318 526 A1.

[0037] The different positions in the rail guidance of a car are described below with the help of FIGS. 3a-e. The cars 5a-5e depicted there correspond to the cars 5a-e in the respective positions thereof shown in FIG. 2. For simplification purposes, only the cars 5 and those rails on which the car is guided in this position are schematically depicted in FIGS. 3a-3e. The associated rollers are not shown for reasons of clarity.

[0038] The car 5a is located in the position shown in FIG. 3a in a region between two repositioning units 30. The car 5a is only guided by the vertical lateral guide rails.

[0039] In the position depicted in FIG. 3b the car 5b is located in an overlapping region 24 in which the vertical lateral guide rails 21V and the vertical rucksack guide rails 22V are arranged in overlapping fashion in the direction of travel. The car 5b is guided both by the vertical lateral guide rails 21V and also by the vertical rucksack guide rails 22V, facilitating a safe and comfortable transition from the lateral guide rails 21V to the rucksack guide rails 22V.

[0040] In the positions shown in FIGS. 3c1 and 3c2 the car 5c is located in one of the repositioning units 30 and therefore also in the region of a lateral guide rail gap 31L. The car 5c is guided exclusively by the rotatable rucksack guide rails 22D.

[0041] In the position shown in FIG. 3c1, the rotatable rucksack guide rails 22D are oriented vertically and therefore aligned with the fixed vertical rucksack guide rails 22V (not shown). The car 5 can be transferred between the vertical rucksack guide rails 22V and the rotatable rucksack guide rails 22D.

[0042] In the position shown in FIG. 3c2, the rotatable rucksack guide rails 22D are oriented horizontally and therefore aligned with the horizontal rucksack guide rails 22H. The car 5 can be transferred between the horizontal rucksack guide rails 22H and the rotatable rucksack guide rails 22D.

[0043] In the position shown in FIG. 3d the car 5d is located in a horizontal lane between two repositioning units 30. The car 5d is guided exclusively by the horizontal rucksack guide rails 22H.

[0044] In the position shown in FIG. 3e the car 5e is likewise located in an overlapping region 24. The car 5b is guided both by the vertical lateral guide rails 21V and by the vertical rucksack guide rails 22V, facilitating a safe and comfortable transition from the vertical rucksack guide rails 22V to the vertical lateral guide rails 21V.

[0045] As soon as the car has left the rotatable rucksack guide rail along the horizontal rail 22H during repositioning, the rotatable rail 22D can be turned back again into the vertical orientation. The next car can then move straight into the repositioning unit, e.g. in order to perform the next repositioning action or for a vertical transit.

[0046] As soon as the car has left the rotatable rucksack guide rail along the vertical rails 22V, 21V following the repositioning, the rotatable rail 22D can be turned back again into the horizontal orientation. The next car can then move straight into the repositioning unit, e.g. in order to perform the next repositioning action or for a horizontal transit.

[0047] The overlapping region 24 also allows a substantial increase in tolerances during assembly of the vertical rails. The vertical rails are not in a line over the entire length of the lane (=shaft height). Heat-induced length changes in the vertical rails or a settlement of the building still have virtually no impact, provided the overlapping region 24 is of an adequate size.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

[0048] 1 elevator system [0049] 2H horizontal lane [0050] 2VL, 2VR vertical lane [0051] 21V lateral guide rail, vertical [0052] 21L lateral guide rail gap [0053] 22V fixed rucksack guide rail, vertical [0054] 22H fixed rucksack guide rail, horizontal [0055] 22D rotatable rucksack guide rails [0056] 24 overlapping region [0057] 3 repositioning assembly [0058] 30 repositioning unit [0059] 31 pivot mounting [0060] 5 car [0061] 51 guide rollers [0062] H21L height of the lateral guide rail gap [0063] H5 height of the car