TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM

Abstract

A transportation system for a building with multiple floors includes a shaft in the building, a traction sheave drive type elevator and a lift. The elevator vertically conveys persons using an elevator car that is movable in the shaft together with at least two counterweights, the elevator car and the counterweights moving in opposite directions. The elevator car and the counterweights are driven by drive engines with traction sheaves. The lift vertically conveys objects and is designed as a self-propelled lift. The lift has a lift platform designed as a vehicle for supplying goods, which vehicle can be brought in and out the shaft and which lies, when located in the shaft, within a vertical projection of the elevator car.

Claims

1-14. (canceled)

15. A transportation system for a building with multiple floors, the transportation system comprising: a shaft; a traction sheave drive elevator for vertically conveying persons, the elevator including an elevator car movable in the shaft, at least one counterweight movable together with the car in the shaft in a direction of movement opposite to a direction of movement of the elevator car, the elevator car and the counterweight being driven by a drive engine with a traction sheave; and a self-propelled lift for vertically conveying objects, the lift having a lift platform movable in the shaft and at least one climbing drive unit for climbing the lift up and down in the shaft.

16. The transportation system according to claim 15 including at least two lift guiding units arranged in the shaft and guiding the lift platform up and down.

17. The transportation system according to claim 16 including an associated motorized gearwheel interacting with each of the lift guiding units.

18. The transportation system according to claim 17 including four of the lift guiding units and four of the gearwheels, each of the lift guiding units having a vertical post and an attached roller chain, the roller chains extending parallel to the posts, and wherein each of the roller chains receives an associated one of the gearwheels.

19. The transportation system according to claim 18 wherein each of the posts is formed as a hollow rail profile.

20. The transportation system according to claim 15 wherein the lift platform is a mobile lift platform adapted to be brought in and out of the shaft and wherein the lift platform has rolling wheels for moving the lift platform on the floors of the building.

21. The transportation system according to claim 15 wherein the lift platform overlaps at least partly a vertical projection of the elevator car.

22. The transportation system according to claim 21 wherein a vertical projection of the lift platform is smaller than the vertical projection of the elevator car.

23. The transportation system according to claim 22 wherein a base area occupied by the vertical projection of the lift platform is less than 60% of a base area occupied by the vertical projection of the elevator car.

24. The transportation system according to claim 15 wherein the shaft has a plurality of elevator shaft doors providing access for passengers into the elevator car, the elevator shaft doors being arranged at a front side of the shaft with each of the elevator shaft doors arranged at an associated floor in a first group of the floors, and including a plurality of lift shaft doors providing access for the lift platform or for objects, the lift shaft doors being arranged at a rear side of the shaft opposite to the front side with each of the lift shaft doors being arranged at an associated floor in a second group of the floors, each of the floors in the second group being arranged on a same level as a neighboring one of the floors in the first group.

25. The transportation system according to claim 24 wherein the floors in the first group include a lowermost floor and the floors in the second group include at least one floor arranged below the lowermost floor.

26. The transportation system according to claim 24 wherein each of the lift shaft doors has an associated controllable lift shaft door drive for reciprocally opening and closing the associated lift shaft door, each of the lift shaft door drives being controlled by the lift platform or by an autonomous robot conveyed on the lift platform.

27. The transportation system according to claim 15 wherein the elevator car is a front side supported car guided along a pair of opposing car guide means, each of the car guide means being arranged at one of lateral sides of the shaft and in a region adjacent to a front side of the shaft.

28. The transportation system according to claim 27 including two opposing counterweights being located at opposing lateral sides of the shaft.

29. The transportation system according to claim 28 wherein the counterweights are guided along counterweight guide means, the counterweight guide means and the car guide means on each of the lateral sides of the shaft being formed by a common guide rail profile.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] Different aspects of the enhanced technology are described in greater detail below with reference to exemplary embodiments illustrated in the figures. Identical elements are identified by the same reference symbols in the figures. In these figures:

[0035] FIG. 1 refers to a schematic side view of the transportation system comprising a traction sheave drive type elevator and a self-propelled lift in a common shaft according to an embodiment of the invention;

[0036] FIG. 2 shows another schematic illustration of the inventive transportation system;

[0037] FIG. 3 shows the elevator of the transportation system in a simplified top view according to a further embodiment of the invention; and

[0038] FIG. 4 shows a lift platform of the lift of the transportation system from FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] FIG. 1 shows a vertical transportation system 1 for a building 10 with multiple floors. The transportation system 1 comprises an elevator 3. The elevator 3 has an elevator car 5 which is arranged in a shaft 2 in the building 10 to be movable along a substantially vertical axis. The elevator car 5 serves primarily for the movement of persons. The elevator car 5 is, in the illustrated example, connected with a counterweight 6 by suspension means 7. Suspension means 7 for supporting the elevator car 5 and the counterweight 6 may be conceived as cables or belts or several cables or belts. For moving the elevator car 5 and the counterweight 6 use is made of a drive engine 8 with a traction sheave 9. The drive engine 8 of this traction sheave drive type elevator is, for example, arranged in the shaft head region of the shaft 2. Instead of the so-called machine-room-less elevator 3 it would also be conceivable to arrange the drive engine 8 in a separate engine room in the region of the shaft head. In this description, the term “building” refers, e.g., to residential buildings, office buildings, sports arenas or shopping centers, but also to ships.

[0040] The transportation system 1 further comprises a self-propelled lift 4 for vertically conveying objects. The self-propelled lift 4 comprises a lift platform 11 which at least temporarily is located in the shaft 2. The lift platform 11 may be permanently installed in the shaft 2. On such a lift platform 11 autonomous mobile robots (e.g. household robots) or other unmanned objects 29 can be conveyed. However, for a particularly advantageous transportation system 1 the lift platform 11 is designed as a mobile lift platform which can move on the floors of the building and which is only located or installed in the shaft 2 for moving up and down for approaching different floors. The mobile lift platform 11 may carry and transport goods 29 as loose items on the upper side of the platform or using special containers.

[0041] The self-propelled lift 4 is based on a different drive type than the elevator 3. Thus, the lift platform 11, which may be guided along (not shown here, but see FIG. 4) lift platform guide means, is, with respect to the elevator car 5, independently vertically movable in the shaft 2. The lift platform 11 of the self-propelled lift 4 comprises at least one (not shown) drive unit for climbing up and down in the shaft 2. The combination of the traction sheave drive type elevator 3 and the self-propelled lift 4 ensures a high range of flexibility.

[0042] The traction sheave drive type elevator 3 comprises an elevator control system with an elevator controller 31 for controlling the operation of the drive engine 8 for displacing the elevator car 5 during operation for example in response to calls received from one of multiple (not shown) landing operation panels provided at each of the floors in the building and/or from a (not shown) car operation panel provided within the elevator car 5. The elevator controller 31 processes a received elevator call and activates the drive engine 8 accordingly in order to move the elevator car 5 in the shaft 2 with the aid of the suspension means 7. The elevator control system also comprises a (not shown) door controller for controlling the operation of the (not shown) car door and elevator shaft doors. The car door of the elevator car 5 and the respective shaft door are opened upon arrival of the car on the desired floor. These shaft doors for accessing the elevator car 5 would be, in the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, arranged at a front side 12 of the shaft 2. The opposite side of the shaft 2 which is hereinafter called rear side is denoted with 13. The shaft 2 further comprises two lateral sides 19 connecting the front side 12 with the rear side 13.

[0043] The lift platform 11 comprises a lift controller 32 controlling the movement of the lift platform 11 to the desired floor. In the exemplary embodiment, the lift controller 32 further comprising a transmitting and receiving unit which is designed for transmitting and receiving radio signals in order to communicate wirelessly via a communication network with a host elevator and lift controller 33. The transmission may be realized in accordance with previously mentioned mobile radio communication technology (e.g. a WLAN/WiFi system, 4G/LTE (long-term evolution)) or one or more technologies such as IP (Internet protocol) technology or a wire-bound technology (e.g. Ethernet technology). Among other functions, the host elevator and lift controller 33 ensures a safe operation of the transportation system 1 and especially that no collision between the elevator car 5 and the lift platform 11 do occur.

[0044] The lift platform 11 which is positioned below the elevator car 5 at least partly overlaps a vertical projection of the elevator car 5. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the access provided by (not shown here) lift shaft doors for the lift platform 11 may be arranged at one of the lateral sides 19 of the shaft 2. Contrary to this, in the following FIG. 2 referring to another exemplary embodiment the access for the lift platform 11 is arranged at a rear side 13 of the shaft 2.

[0045] FIG. 2 shows a schematic and simplified representation of a partially illustrated building 10 in which a shaft 2 with a traction sheave drive type elevator 3 and a self-propelled lift 4 for vertically conveying objects based on a different drive type than the elevator in the manner as described before are provided. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the building 10 has multiple floors 14 and 15. The floors denoted with 14 are associated with the front side 12 of the shaft 2, whereby those floors comprise a first floor 14′, a second floor 14″ and so on; the uppermost floor which here exemplary is a fifth floor 14.sup.v. Passengers can enter the elevator car 5 from this front side 12 via an elevator shaft door 17 and an adjacent car door 35. On the opposite rear side 13 of the shaft 2 a plurality of lift shaft doors 18 are arranged whereby the shaft doors 18 provide access for the lift platform 11. These shaft doors 18 which at least with respect to the height have smaller dimensions are intended to provide access of unmanned objects and shall not serve as a normal people access. The respective floors, i.e. the floors 14′, 14″, 14′″, 14′.sup.v, 14.sup.v and the floors 15′, 15″, 15′″, 15′.sup.v, 15.sup.v, when on the same level may be connected to a common story, so that, for example, a person present at floor 14.sup.v can reach the floor 14.sup.v by walking via (not shown here) passages or hallways in the building 10. The multiple floors 14 associated with the elevator shaft doors 17 at the front side 12 of the shaft 2 have a lowermost floor 14′. As can be seen in FIG. 2 the multiple floors 15 associated with the lift shaft doors 18 at the rear side 13 of the shaft 2 comprise a floor 15.sup.N which is arranged below the lowermost floor 14′. This floor 15.sup.N serves as a main entry floor which for instance may exclusively be intended for the traffic of autonomous vehicles, robots and other unmanned objects coming from outside via a (not shown) building entrance or from storage facilities or waiting areas.

[0046] FIG. 2 further shows that each of the lift shaft doors 18 comprise controllable lift shaft door drives 34 for reciprocally opening and closing the lift shaft doors 18. For opening and closing the lift shaft doors 18 the lift shaft door drives 34 can be controlled by the mobile lift platform 11. Therefore, the lift controller 32 integrated in the mobile lift platform 11 has, as shown in FIG. 1, a transmitting and receiving unit which is designed for transmitting and receiving radio signals in order to communicate wirelessly with a (not shown) signal receptor which is associated with the lift shaft door drive 34. The mobile lift platform 11 is designed as a vehicle which can be brought in and out the shaft 2 and which can be moved on the floors. Rolling wheels 27 are provided for the mobile lift platform 11 so that the lift platform 11 (illustrated by dashed lines) is capable of being moved on a floor.

[0047] The host elevator and lift controller 33 which is arranged in the building 10 comprises an interface. The interface is communicatively linked to the elevator controller 31. In addition, the interface is communicatively linked to a processing unit of the lift platform 11, which is the processing unit of the before mentioned lift controller 32. The interface generally serves for transmitting data as well as for their storage; it is accordingly designed for at least one of these purposes. According to an exemplary embodiment the interaction between the interface and the lift platform 11 may take place via a network. The network may comprise a mobile communication network that allows communications in accordance with one of the known mobile radio communication standards; it may be realized, for example, in the form of a GSM, UMTS or LTE mobile communication network. The network may further comprise a data network, which may be part of an IT infrastructure for so-called cloud computing. The cloud computing refers, for example, to the storage of data in a remote computer center, but also to the execution of programs that are not installed locally, but rather remotely. Depending on the respective design, a certain functionality may be made available, for example, in the interface or via the “cloud.” For example, a software application or program portions thereof may for this purpose be executed in the cloud. In this case, the interface accesses this infrastructure on demand in order to execute the software application.

[0048] FIGS. 3 and 4 refer to schematic representations of an exemplary embodiment of the transportation system 1. In FIG. 3 the elevator car 5 of the traction sheave drive type elevator 3 is illustrated showing some technical details; the lift platform 11 of the self-propelled lift 4 for vertically conveying objects is indicatively illustrated by dashed lines. Lift guiding units 22 for guiding the lift platform 11 as well as the climbing drive units 23 for climbing up and down are symbolically shown (cf. FIG. 4 below).

[0049] The lift platform 11, when located in the shaft for moving up and down, overlaps the vertical projection of the elevator car 5, whereby the vertical projection of the lift platform 11 is considerably smaller than the vertical projection of the elevator car 5. In the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 3, the lift platform 11 essentially is completely projecting within the elevator car 5. This projection condition also includes arrangements whereby a minor rear sided section of the lift platform 11 may lie outside the vertical projection of the car. For an easy access and handling with respect to the lift platform 11 it may be advantageous that the lift platform 11 being close and more preferably in the immediate vicinity of the rear side 13 of the shaft 2 provided with the adjacent lift shaft doors 18. A base area occupied by the vertical projection of the lift platform 11 is approximately 50% of a base area occupied by the vertical projection of the elevator car 5.

[0050] The elevator car 5 is a front side supported car which is guided along a pair of opposing car guide means 20, whereby each of the two car guide means 20 being arranged at one of the lateral sides 19 of the shaft 2 (and thus at the lateral sides of the car) and in a region close to the front side 12. The elevator 3 comprises two opposing counterweights 6, whereby the counterweights 6 being located at the opposing laterals sides 19 of the shaft 2. The counterweights 6 horizontally maximally extend to a virtual boundary line defined by a nearest border of the vertical projection of the lift platform 11.

[0051] The counterweights 6 are guided along counterweight guide means 21. In the present embodiment, the counterweight guide means 21 and the car guide means 20 on each lateral side 19 of the shaft 2 are formed by a common guide rail profile which is, for example, made of a monolithic rolled metal profile. Further details with respect to this frontsack elevator having the special configuration of the common guide rail profile and counterweights can be found in the applicant's PCT applications PCT/EP2019/085699 (WO 2020/127303 A1) and PCT/EP2019/086382(WO 2020/127787 A1) which disclosure shall be involved hereinafter. The elevator 3 comprises two drive engines 8 (not shown here), whereby for each of the counterweights one drive engine is provided.

[0052] FIG. 4 shows the transportation system 1 for a better understanding and overview with respect to the self-propelled lift 4 without the elevator 3. The lift platform 11 of the self-propelled lift 4 comprises two drive units 37 for climbing up and down in the shaft 2, whereby each of the two drive units 37 motorizes two gearwheels 24. Thus, the lift platform 11 comprises four gearwheels 24. Four guiding units 22 are arranged in the shaft 2, whereby two of the four guiding units 22 are arranged at or on the opposing laterals sides 19 of the shaft 2. The guiding units 22 comprise two pair of vertical posts 25 and roller chains 26, one of the roller chains 26 being attached to each of the posts 25 and extending parallel to the posts 25, whereby the roller chains 26 being intended to receive the associated gearwheel 24. The posts 25 may be formed as hollow rail profiles. A similar lift platform having motorized gearwheels as well as roller chains and vertical posts so that the lift platform can climb up and down has been disclosed in WO 2018/189110 A1 which, however, refers to a different technical field. Surprisingly the applicant found out that such a lift platform from an order-picking system vertically driving between racks can be advantageously be implemented in a vertical transportation system in a building, the building having floors between the transport shall take place.

[0053] The lift platform 11 is designed as an autonomous vehicle for supplying goods which can be brought in and out the shaft 2 and which can be moved in the floors 15. For being capable of being moved on a floor 15 the lift platform comprises motorized rolling wheels 27 (see FIG. 2). The lift platform 11 then functions like a robo-car which is capable of sensing its environment and moving safely on the floors with no human input. Alternatively, the mobile lift platform 11 may be designed as an AGV that, for example, follows along marked lines or wires on the floor.

[0054] FIG. 2 exemplarily shows how such a mobile lift platform 11 can be brought into the shaft 2. The shaft 2 comprises extendable platforms or ramps 36 arranged on each floor 15. The ramp 36 is designed such that it can extend from a rest position to an extended position. For the activation of the controllable ramp 36 a (not shown) sliding drive may be provided which may be electronically coupled with the lift door controller for controlling the operation of the lift shaft door 18. An extended ramp 36 associated with the main entry floor 15.sup.N is illustrated by dashed lines. Thanks to the ramp 36 the mobile lift platform 11 is able to move from the floor 15.sup.N via the extended ramp 36 into the shaft 2. Then, the mobile lift platform 11 docks itself to the lift guiding units and is ready for climbing up and down in the shaft 2. After the docking procedure the ramp 36 slides back to the resting position. The respective closing movement of the ramp 36 is indicated by an arrow s. In this resting position the ramp is fully retracted and allows an unimpeded climbing up and down mobile lift platform 11. The shaft 2 may be a pitless shaft. In this case the mobile lift platform 11 can move from the entry floor 15.sup.N into the shaft 2 without the need of such a ramp 36. The extendable ramp 36 may comprise a plurality of elements forming a telescopic ramp.

[0055] Other transfer means for the transfer of the mobile lift platform 11 from a floor 15 into the shaft 2 would also be conceivable. For example, instead of the extendable ramps 36 as described above, foldable ramps may be provided on each floor 15, whereby the foldable ramp can, after activation, be moved in a pivotable manner from a vertical resting position to a horizontal drive up position.

[0056] 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.