DEVICE FOR CREATING A TEMPORARY PROTECTIVE SPACE

Abstract

A device for creating a temporary protective space for an elevator system is installed in an elevator shaft and includes a fastening element that can be fixed in the elevator shaft and a supporting element connected to the fastening element. In a maintenance position of the device, the supporting element is arranged such that a movement path of a travel body of the elevator system is limited to form the temporary protective space. An impact element is connected to the supporting element and, in the maintenance position of the device, provides direct mechanical contact with the travel body. The impact element is pivotably mounted on the supporting element such that in an operating position of the device the movement path of the travel body is maximized.

Claims

1-13. (canceled)

14. An elevator system having a device arranged within an elevator shaft for creating a temporary protective space, wherein the elevator system has a travel body movable along an entire movement path in an operating mode of the elevator system, the device comprising: a fastening element fixed in the elevator shaft; a supporting element connected to the fastening element, wherein, in a maintenance position of the device, the supporting element is arranged within the elevator shaft such that the movement path of the travel body is limited to less than the entire movement path thereby forming a temporary protective space in the elevator shaft; and an impact element connected to the supporting element, wherein, in the maintenance position of the device, the impact element is provided for direct mechanical contact with the travel body, and wherein the impact element is pivotably mounted on the supporting element for movement between the maintenance position and an operating position in which the movement path of the travel body is not limited by the device.

15. The elevator system according to claim 14 wherein the supporting element is connected to the fastening element for movement relative to the fastening element between the maintenance position and the operating position.

16. The elevator system according to claim 14 wherein the travel body is an elevator car or a counterweight that moves in a direction opposite to a movement direction of the elevator car.

17. The elevator system according to claim 14 wherein the fastening element is fixed to a shaft wall of the elevator shaft or to a shaft bottom of the elevator shaft.

18. The elevator system according to claim 14 wherein the impact element is mounted on the supporting element by a pivot axle such that, in the operating position of the device, the pivot axle is arranged between a central line of the supporting element that is oriented in a main orientation of the supporting element and a boundary wall of the elevator shaft.

19. The elevator system according to claim 14 wherein the supporting element is pivotably arranged on the fastening element.

20. The elevator system according to claim 14 wherein the supporting element is detachable from the fastening element for transferring the device from the maintenance position to the operating position.

21. The elevator system according to claim 20 including another fastening element to which the supporting element can be connected when the device is in the operating position.

22. A device for creating a temporary protective space, wherein the device is adapted for use in an elevator system when installed in an elevator shaft of the elevator system, the device comprising: a fastening element adapted to be fixed in the elevator shaft; a supporting element connected to the fastening element, wherein, in a maintenance position of the device, the supporting element is arranged within the elevator shaft such that a movement path of a travel body included in the elevator system is limited to form a temporary protective space in the elevator shaft; and an impact element connected to the supporting element and wherein, in the maintenance position of the device, the impact element is provided for direct mechanical contact with the travel body, and wherein the impact element is pivotably mounted on the supporting element for movement between the maintenance position and an operating position of the device.

23. The device according to claim 22 wherein the supporting element is connected to the fastening element for movement of the supporting element between the maintenance position and the operating position.

24. The device according to claim 22 wherein the fastening element is adapted to be fixed to a shaft wall of the elevator shaft or to a shaft bottom of the elevator shaft.

25. The device according to claim 22 wherein the supporting element is pivotably arranged on the fastening element.

26. The device according to claim 22 wherein the supporting element is detachable from the fastening element for transferring the device from the maintenance position to the operating position.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] The invention is explained in greater detail below with reference to drawings, which show:

[0023] FIG. 1: an elevator system with a first device for creating a temporary protective space and a further such device in their operating positions;

[0024] FIG. 2: an elevator system with devices for creating the temporary protective space arranged in their maintenance position;

[0025] FIG. 3: a device for creating the temporary protective space according to the previously known prior art; and

[0026] FIG. 4: a device for creating a temporary protective space arranged in its operating position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] FIG. 1 shows an elevator system 2 arranged in an elevator shaft 8. The elevator shaft comprises a shaft head 14 at its upper end and a shaft pit at its lower end 9. The elevator shaft 8 is delimited by boundary walls 10.1, 10.2, 11, 17. The elevator shaft 8 is in particular delimited laterally by at least one shaft wall 10.1, 10.2 and at the lower end of the shaft pit 9 by a shaft bottom 11. The shaft head 14 can be delimited at its upper end by a shaft ceiling 17.

[0028] The elevator system 2 comprises at least one travel body, in particular an elevator car 4, which elevator car 4 can be displaced without limitation along its movement path 15. In addition to the elevator car 4, the elevator system 2 can comprise a further travel body, a counterweight 6, which can be arranged or is arranged in the elevator shaft 8 so as to be movable in the opposite direction to the elevator car 4. The counterweight 6 is arranged so as to be movable along a movement path 16 that can be assigned to the counterweight 6. During the normal operating mode of the elevator system 2, the counterweight 6 can be moved correspondingly without limitation along its movement path 16.

[0029] The elevator car 4 and the counterweight 6 are connected by means of a suspension element 19. The suspension element 19 can be deflected by means of rollers 18 in a shaft head 14 of the elevator shaft 8. One of the two rollers 18 shown can be designed as a drive roller connected to a drive motor (not shown).

[0030] The elevator system 2 comprises at least one device 12, 13 for creating a temporary protective space, a first shown device 12 of this kind being fixable to the shaft bottom 11 and a second shown device 13 of this kind being fixable to one of the shaft walls 10.1, 10.2. In the operating position of the device 12, 13, this device 12, 13 is arranged outside the movement path 15, 16 of the corresponding travel body 4, 6. This means that the device 12, 13 is arranged outside the volume which can be occupied by the elevator car 4 or the counterweight 6 in the normal operating mode of the elevator system 2. The devices 12, 13 are preferably at a distance from the movement path 15, 16 of the corresponding travel body 4, 6 when they are in their operating position.

[0031] Not shown is a device for creating the temporary protective space arranged above the elevator car 4, which device can be arranged in the shaft head 14 as an alternative to the arrangement of the device 13 below the counterweight 6.

[0032] FIG. 2 shows the elevator system 2 shown in FIG. 1 with devices 12, 13 for creating the temporary protective space arranged in their maintenance position. In addition, the device 13′ which can be arranged above the elevator car and which can be an alternative to the device 13 arranged below the counterweight is shown. The devices 12, 13, 13′ for creating the temporary protective spaces 30′, 30″ are shown or arranged in their maintenance position.

[0033] Each of these devices 12, 13, 13′ comprises a fastening element 22 which is fixed or can be fixed in the elevator shaft 8, in particular to the shaft bottom 11, to one of the shaft walls 10.1, 10.2 or to the shaft ceiling 17, a supporting element 24 connected to the fastening element 22, and an impact element 26 connected to the supporting element 24.

[0034] The supporting element 24 is arranged so as to protrude from the shaft wall 10.2 or from the shaft bottom 11 such that the supporting element 24 protrudes into the movement path 15, 16 of the travel body 4, 6 and the impact element 26 is suitably placed for limiting the movement path of the travel body. As a result, the movement path 15, 16 of the travel body is limited in the maintenance position of the device 12, 13, 13′. In the maintenance position, the impact element 26 is arranged, preferably horizontally, such that a lower surface of the travel body (of the elevator car shown; 4′) can rest thereon. Accordingly, in the maintenance position of the device 12, 13, 13′, the impact element 26 is provided for direct mechanical contact with the travel body 4, 6. The lower surface of the elevator car 4 that is provided for striking the impact element 26 can be formed, for example, by a cross member of a frame of the elevator car 4.

[0035] When the lower surface 4′ of the elevator car 4 or a lowermost component of the elevator car 4 strikes the impact element 26 of the device 12 fixed to the shaft bottom 11, which element is arranged below said elevator car 4, a temporary protective space 30′ is formed below the elevator car 4.

[0036] The device 13 fixed to the shaft wall 10.2, which, in its maintenance position, limits the movement path 16 of the counterweight, causes the temporary protective space 30″ to be formed above the car roof 4″ in the shaft head 14 when the counterweight comes into mechanical contact with the impact plate 26. Alternatively, the fastening element 22 of the device 13 arranged below the counterweight can be fixed or fixable to the shaft bottom 11. In order to be able to absorb forces acting on the impact element 26, which are caused by the resting or striking of the counterweight, the device 13 can additionally have a stabilizing element 27. The stabilizing element 27 connects the supporting element 24 and the fastening element 22 such that the statics of the device 13 fixed to the shaft wall 10.2 is provided.

[0037] An additional buffer element (not shown) can be arranged on the impact element 26 or on the displacement body such that contact between the displacement body and the device 12, 13, 13′ is damped.

[0038] The device for creating the temporary protective space 30″ above the car roof 4″ can be arranged in the shaft head 14 as an alternative to the arrangement in the shaft pit 9. For this purpose, the fastening element 22 of the device 13′ arranged in the shaft head 14 can be fastened or fastenable to the shaft ceiling 17 or to the shaft walls 10.1, 10.2 in the shaft head 14.

[0039] FIGS. 3 and 4 show devices 12, 13, 13′ for creating a temporary protective space. The supporting elements 24 of the device 12, 13, 13′ are directly connected to the fastening element 22 and are pivoted such that the device 12, 13, 13′ does not limit the movement path 15, 16 of the travel body.

[0040] FIG. 3 shows an impact element 26 according to the previously known prior art that is fixed to the supporting element 24. Accordingly, a maximum distance T1 of each component of the device 12, 13, 13′ from the boundary wall 10.1, 10.2, 11, 17 is formed.

[0041] The device 12, 13, 13′ according to the invention shown according to an embodiment in FIG. 4 is shown in its operating position. Accordingly, in the operating position of the device 12, 13, 13′, the pivotable impact element 26 can be pivoted on the supporting element 24 about a pivot axle S such that the main orientations of the supporting element 24 and the impact element 26 extend in almost the same direction. In addition, a central line M of the supporting element 24 that extends in parallel with the main orientation of the supporting element 24 is shown in FIG. 4. The pivot axle S is arranged between the boundary wall 10.1, 10.2, 11, 17 and this central line M such that the supporting element 24 or the device 12, 13, 13′ is arranged closer to the boundary wall 10.1, 10.2, 11, 17 in its operating position. Accordingly, the maximum distance T2 of each component of the device 12, 13, 13′ shown in FIG. 4 from the boundary wall 10.1, 10.2, 11, 17 in the operating position of said device is formed.

[0042] As a result of the described pivotability of the impact element 26 with respect to the supporting element 24, the distance T2 shown in FIG. 4 is smaller than the distance T1 shown in FIG. 3, such that the volume of an elevator shaft 8 that can be used by movement paths 15, 16 can be as large as possible according to a device 12, 13, 13′ shown in FIG. 4.

[0043] 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.