Rack-and-pinion elevator system having a protective roof

Abstract

An elevator system includes a lifting platform for securing at a plurality of securing positions in an elevator shaft and at least one guide rail for vertically guiding an elevator car in the elevator shaft. The lifting platform has a protective roof that protects the lifting platform against falling objects, wherein the protective roof has a rail opening, through which the guide rail extends, and wherein the protective roof has a cover covering the rail opening, the cover having a cover opening through which the guide rail extends.

Claims

1. An elevator system comprising: a lifting platform adapted to be fastened to each of a plurality of fastening positions in an elevator shaft; at least one guide rail for vertically guiding an elevator car in the elevator shaft, wherein the guide rail is fastened to a lateral wall of the elevator shaft by a rail clamp; a protective roof arranged above the lifting platform that protects the lifting platform against falling objects in the elevator shaft, wherein the protective roof has a rail opening through which the guide rail extends, wherein a cross section of the rail clamp can be guided through the cross section of the rail opening; and a cover arranged above and mounted on the protective roof and covering the rail opening, the cover having a cover opening through which the guide rail extends.

2. The elevator system according to claim 1 wherein the cover opening has a shape that corresponds to a cross section of the guide rail.

3. The elevator system according to claim 1 wherein the cover opening and a cross section of the guide rail are T-shaped.

4. The elevator system according to claim 1 wherein a gap having a maximum width of 30 mm is present between the cover opening and the guide rail extending through the cover opening.

5. The elevator system according to claim 1 wherein the cover is formed of at least two cover parts.

6. The elevator system according to claim 5 wherein the cover opening is formed in only one of the at least two cover parts, or wherein the cover opening is formed in two of the at least two cover parts.

7. The elevator system according to claim 1 wherein the cover is connected to the protective roof by hinges.

8. The elevator system according to claim 1 wherein the cover is arranged on an edge of the protective roof and the cover or cover parts of the cover are pivotable upwards about a hinge axis at least one of in parallel with the edge and orthogonally with respect to the edge.

9. The elevator system according to claim 1 wherein the protective roof includes a central roof construction that extends horizontally, and wherein the cover is arranged at least in part over the central roof construction.

10. The elevator system according to claim 1 wherein the protective roof has a peripheral flank construction that extends diagonally with respect to a horizontal line, and wherein the cover is arranged at least in part over the peripheral flank construction.

11. The elevator system according to claim 1 wherein the cover is positioned on a cover box that is fastened on the protective roof.

12. The elevator system according to claim 11 wherein the cover box extends to an edge of the protective roof.

13. The elevator system according to claim 11 wherein the cover box is fastened on a central roof construction of the protective roof that extends horizontally, and a peripheral flank construction of the protective roof that extends diagonally with respect to a horizontal line is fastened to a side of the cover box.

14. The elevator system according to claim 1 further comprising: the elevator car; and a suspension means wherein the elevator car is held by the suspension means and can be moved inside the elevator shaft along the at least one guide rail by the suspension means, wherein the suspension means is held on the lifting platform, and wherein the protective roof is arranged above components of the lifting platform to be protected.

15. An elevator system comprising: a lifting platform adapted to be fastened to each of a plurality of fastening positions in an elevator shaft; at least one guide rail for vertically guiding an elevator car in the elevator shaft, wherein the guide rail is fastened to a lateral wall of the elevator shaft by a rail clamp; wherein the lifting platform has a protective roof that protects the lifting platform against falling objects in the elevator shaft; wherein the protective roof has a rail opening through which the guide rail extends, wherein a cross section of the rail clamp can be guided through the cross section of the rail opening; and wherein the protective roof has a cover arranged on the protective roof and covering the rail opening, the cover having a cover opening through which the guide rail extends, where the cover is connected to the protective roof by hinges.

16. An elevator system comprising: a lifting platform adapted to be fastened to each of a plurality of fastening positions in an elevator shaft; at least one guide rail for vertically guiding an elevator car in the elevator shaft, wherein the guide rail is fastened to a lateral wall of the elevator shaft by a rail clamp; wherein the lifting platform has a protective roof that protects the lifting platform against falling objects in the elevator shaft; wherein the protective roof has a rail opening through which the guide rail extends, wherein a cross section of the rail clamp can be guided through the cross section of the rail opening; and wherein the protective roof has a cover arranged on the protective roof and covering the rail opening, the cover having a cover opening through which the guide rail extends, where the cover is positioned on a cover box that is fastened on the protective roof.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a side sectional view through an elevator system according to an embodiment of the invention.

(2) FIG. 2 is a perspective view from above of a protective roof of an elevator system according to an embodiment of the invention.

(3) FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a cover box for an elevator system according to an embodiment of the invention.

(4) The drawings are merely schematic and not true to scale. Like reference signs refer in the different drawings to like or analogous features.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(5) FIG. 1 shows an elevator system 1 in the form of a rack-and-pinion elevator system. The elevator system 1 comprises an elevator shaft 3 in which an elevator car 5 and a counterweight 7 are housed. The elevator car 5 and the counterweight 7 are held on a lifting platform 11 by means of a suspension means 9. The suspension means 9 typically comprises a plurality of cables or belts. The elevator system 1 also comprises guide rails 12 on which the elevator car 5 is vertically guided in the elevator shaft.

(6) The lifting platform 11 is at least temporarily rigidly fastened in the elevator shaft 3. Fastening points 13 are attached to the lifting platform 11, on which points ends of the suspension means 9 are rigidly held. A drive machine 15 is also provided on the lifting platform 11. This drive machine 15 drives a traction sheave 17 in rotation. The suspension means 9 is wound around the traction sheave 17 and can thus be moved by the rotating traction sheave 17, as a result of which the elevator car 5, guided on the guide rails 12, and the counterweight 7 can be moved within the elevator shaft 3 in opposite directions.

(7) The elevator system 1 is designed to already be installed in a building during a construction phase. This means that the elevator system 1 can already be operated when the building in which it is housed is only partially finished. After particular construction progress has been made, the lifting platform 11 can be moved upwards within the elevator shaft 3 and therefore the elevator system 1 can “grow with” the building. In order to move the lifting platform 11, anchors 19 (only shown schematically) can in this case be temporarily released, the lifting platform 11 is then lifted upwards for example by means of a crane and the suspension means 9 is optionally suitably lengthened, and subsequently the lifting platform 11 is again anchored at the new fastening position thereof in the elevator shaft 3.

(8) In order to protect the components of the lifting platform 11 or the assemblies mounted thereon, such as the drive machine 15, against objects falling through the elevator shaft 3, a protective roof 21 is provided above components of this kind to be protected, which roof is intended to act as a crash deck. In the example shown, the protective roof 21 is supported on a support plate 33 of the lifting platform 11 by means of supports 31 and, above the components to be protected, spans wide parts of the cross-sectional area of the elevator shaft 3. In this case, the protective roof 21 is designed, owing to the geometric design thereof as well as owing to the choice of material for the components thereof, such that it has sufficient stability to be able to protect the components underneath that are intended to be protected against objects falling from above, such as typically screws, tools, small stones etc.

(9) As can also be seen in FIG. 2, the protective roof 21 has a central roof construction 23. The central roof construction 23 is preferably planar and can consist of one or more plates put together, for example metal plates or metal composite plates or even sufficiently thick wood plates.

(10) A flank construction 25 is provided so as to adjoin lateral edges 30 of the roof construction 23. The flank construction 25 has flank walls 27 which are fastened, in the lower end regions 28 thereof, to lateral edges 30 of the roof construction 23 and which project from there diagonally upwards and outwards in an inclined manner with respect to the horizontal line 29 (see FIG. 1). At the upper end regions thereof, the flank walls 27 form an outer edge 35 of the protective roof 21.

(11) As is shown in FIG. 1, the flank walls 27 are arranged at an angle α of typically between 40° and 50° with respect to the horizontal line 29. The flank walls 27 extend as far as or at least to just in front of an adjacent lateral wall 4 of the elevator shaft 3 and therefore close a gap which would otherwise be present between the central roof construction 23 and the lateral wall 4.

(12) Each of or at least some of the guide rails 12 extend through a rail opening 37 in the support plate 33 of the lifting platform 11 and through a rail opening 39 in the central roof construction 23. The rail opening 39 is in this case closed by a cover 41 which in turn has a cover opening 43 that is significantly smaller than the rail opening 39. The cover 41 therefore protects the components of the elevator system 1 that are under the protective roof 21 against falling objects, since the rail opening 39 is almost completely closed by the cover 41.

(13) The cover 41 can be produced from one or more substantially planar metal plates.

(14) The rail openings 37, 39 are sufficiently wide that a rail clamp 45, by means of which the associated guide rail 12 is secured to a wall 4 of the elevator system 1, can be guided through said openings when moving the lifting platform 11. Therefore, in order to move the lifting platform 11, only the cover 41 that is for example placed on the rail opening 39 has to be removed.

(15) A cover box 47 can be fastened on the protective roof 21 or the central roof construction 23, which box can have a plurality of perpendicular lateral walls 49 and surrounds the rail openings 39. The cover 41 can also be designed as a cover for the cover box 47 and/or be placed on the upper end thereof.

(16) FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a plurality of cover boxes 47 and a plurality of covers 41. Each of the cover boxes 47 extends as far as the edge 35 of the protective roof 21, the face of the cover box 47 that faces the associated wall 4 being open. Moreover, each of the cover boxes 47 is fastened on the central roof construction 23 that extends horizontally. The peripheral flank construction 25 that extends diagonally with respect to the horizontal line is fastened to the side of the relevant cover box 47 by means of the flank walls 27.

(17) As can be seen in FIG. 2, the guide rails 12 have a T-shaped cross section. A corresponding shape of the cover openings 43 is also T-shaped. Each of the cover openings 43 is formed such that just a narrow gap remains between the corresponding guide rail 12 and the edge of the cover openings 43, which gap has a maximum width of less than 30 mm, such as approximately 10 mm, for example. It is possible for a cover to have a plurality of cover openings 43, or for a plurality of guide rails 12 to extend through a rail opening 37, 39.

(18) A cover 41 can be divided into two or more cover parts 53a, 53b, between which (aside from the cover openings 43) only one slot (for example narrower than 10 mm) is formed when the cover 41 is located on the rail opening 39. Alternatively, these cover parts 53a, 53b can overlap.

(19) For example, the or a cover opening 43 is designed so as to be completely within a cover part 53a, the other cover part 53b providing only one edge of the cover opening 43.

(20) As can be seen from FIG. 3, it is also possible for the cover opening 43 to be formed by two cover parts 53a, 53b. FIG. 3 also shows that each of the cover parts 53a, 53b can be connected to the cover box 47 by means of a hinge 55. In FIG. 3, the hinges 55 are arranged such that the hinge axis 57 extends substantially orthogonally with respect to the wall 4 or to the edge 35 of the protective roof 21, next to which the cover 41 is arranged. The slot 59 dividing the cover parts 53a, 53b also extends substantially orthogonally with respect to the wall 4 or to the edge 35 of the protective roof 21. The cover parts 53a, 53b can thus fold outwards along the wall 4 or the edge 35, as indicated by the arrows.

(21) Conversely, FIG. 2 shows that the slot 59 dividing the cover parts 53a, 53b can extend substantially in parallel with the wall 4 or the edge 35. Also in FIG. 2, it is possible for the cover parts 53a, 53b to be connected to the cover box 47 by means of hinges 55, it being possible in this case for the hinge axis 57 to extend substantially in parallel with the wall 4 or the edge 35.

(22) It can also be seen in FIG. 3 that the rail clamp 45 protrudes from the wall 4 and clasps a base of the guide rail 12. For this reason, the rail opening 39 that is formed as a rectangular opening in the central roof construction 23 is located on the edge of the central roof construction 23.

(23) In conclusion, it should be noted that terms like “having,” “comprising”, etc. do not exclude any other elements or steps, and terms like “a” or “an” do not exclude a plurality. Furthermore, it is noted that features or steps that have been described with reference to one of the aforementioned embodiments may also be used in combination with other features or steps of other embodiments described above. Reference signs in the claims should not be considered limiting.

(24) In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, the present invention has been described in what is considered to represent its preferred embodiment. However, it should be noted that the invention can be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described without departing from its spirit or scope.