Elevator car

Abstract

An elevator car has a pivotable balustrade mounted on a roof of the elevator car and which can be pivoted between a folded-down position and an erected position. To secure the erected position, the balustrade has a locking mechanism by which the balustrade can be locked via a latching connection during a pivoting movement to produce the erected position. The balustrade includes a two-part post with a lower post part and an upper post part, the upper post part being pivotably fastened to the lower post part and on which the locking mechanism is arranged. A latching element of the locking mechanism is mounted vertically on the lower post part so as to be displaceable to a limited degree. The locking mechanism further has an actuating element in the form of a foot pedal or a lever for unlocking the locking position.

Claims

1. An elevator car having a pivotable balustrade attached to a roof of the elevator car, which balustrade can be pivoted, at least in portions, between a folded-down position and an erected position, the balustrade comprising: a lower stationary part; an upper movable part; and a locking mechanism for securing the balustrade in the erected position in which the balustrade is automatically locked by a latching connection between the lower stationary part and the upper movable part in response to a pivot movement of the upper movable part to the erected position, where a latching element of the locking mechanism is mounted on the lower stationary part so as to be vertically displaceable to a limited extent, and an engagement means of the locking mechanism is mounted on the upper movable part so as to automatically engage the latching element when the upper movable part is pivoted to the erected position.

2. The elevator car according to claim 1 wherein the lower stationary part and the upper movable part are connected at an axis of rotation.

3. The elevator car according to claim 2 wherein the upper movable part of the balustrade is oriented horizontally in the folded-down position.

4. The elevator car according to claim 2 wherein the balustrade includes a two-part post having a lower post part and an upper post part, the upper post part being pivotably fastened to the lower post part, the lower stationary part including the lower post part and the upper movable part including the upper post part, the locking mechanism being arranged on the two-part post, the latching element of the locking mechanism being mounted on the lower post part, and the engagement means of the locking mechanism being on the upper post part.

5. The elevator car according to claim 4 wherein at least one vertical guide for guiding the latching element is provided in the lower post part.

6. The elevator car according to claim 4 wherein the upper post part has a profile wall with a lower edge forming the engagement means for the engagement with the latching element when the balustrade is locked.

7. The elevator car according to claim 4 wherein the latching element has a sloped end along which the engagement means travels during the pivot movement for establishing the erected position of the balustrade.

8. The elevator car according to claim 1 wherein the locking mechanism includes a latching element adapted to be brought into engagement with an engagement means to secure the balustrade in the erected position.

9. The elevator car according to claim 8 wherein the locking mechanism includes a spring for generating a preload on the latching element in the erected position.

10. The elevator car according to claim 1 wherein the locking mechanism includes an actuation element, formed as a foot pedal or a lever, for unlocking the locked balustrade.

11. The elevator car according to claim 10 wherein, for the pivot movement of the upper movable part, the actuation element is arranged at a predetermined spacing of between 10 cm and 30 cm below an axis of rotation of the upper movable part.

12. The elevator car according to claim 10 wherein the actuation element is formed as a lever that is mounted on the lower stationary part and is pivotable to a limited extent.

13. The elevator car according to claim 10 wherein the actuation element has a horizontal contact upper surface in the erected position of the balustrade.

14. The elevator car according to claim 13 wherein the contact upper surface of the actuation element has a length of at least 10 cm beyond an axis of rotation of the actuation element.

15. The elevator car according to claim 1 wherein a latching element of the locking mechanism is formed as a bent part from sheet metal.

16. An elevator car having a pivotable balustrade attached to a roof of the elevator car, which balustrade can be pivoted, at least in portions, between a folded-down position and an erected position, the balustrade comprising: a lower stationary part; an upper movable part; a locking mechanism for securing the balustrade in the erected position in which the balustrade is locked by a latching connection between the lower stationary part and the upper movable part in response to a pivot movement of the upper movable part to establish the erected position; wherein the lower stationary part and the upper movable part are connected at an axis of rotation; wherein the balustrade includes a two-part post having a lower post part and an upper post part, the upper post part being pivotably fastened to the lower post part, the lower stationary part including the lower post part and the upper movable part including the upper post part, the locking mechanism being arranged on the two-part post, a latching element of the locking mechanism being mounted vertically on the lower post part so as to be displaceable to a limited extent, and an engagement means of the locking mechanism being on the upper post part; and wherein the latching element has a sloped end along which the engagement means travels during the pivot movement for establishing the erected position of the balustrade.

17. An elevator car having a pivotable balustrade attached to a roof of the elevator car, which balustrade can be pivoted, at least in portions, between a folded-down position and an erected position, the balustrade comprising: a lower stationary part; an upper movable part connected to the lower stationary part at an axis of rotation; a locking mechanism for securing the balustrade in the erected position in which the balustrade is automatically locked by a latching connection between the lower stationary part and the upper movable part in response to a pivot movement of the upper movable part to the erected position, wherein the upper movable part of the balustrade is oriented horizontally in the folded-down position; and a stop affixed on the lower stationary part adjacent the axis of rotation which prevents rotation of the upper movable part beyond a horizontal orientation in the folded-down position.

18. An elevator car having a pivotable balustrade attached to a roof of the elevator car, which balustrade can be pivoted, at least in portions, between a folded-down position and an erected position, the balustrade comprising: a lower stationary part; an upper movable part connected to the lower stationary part at an axis of rotation; and a locking mechanism for securing the balustrade in the erected position in which the balustrade is automatically locked by a latching connection between the lower stationary part and the upper movable part in response to a pivot movement of the upper movable part to the erected position, wherein the locking mechanism includes an actuation element, formed as a foot pedal or a lever pivotally mounted on the lower stationary part, for unlocking the locked balustrade, and where the actuation element is mounted at a spacing of between 10 cm and 30 cm above the roof of the elevator car and between 10 cm and 30 cm below the axis of rotation of the upper movable part.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further individual features and advantages of the invention can be found in the following description of embodiments and in the drawings. In the drawings:

(2) FIG. 1 is a highly simplified schematic side view of an elevator comprising an elevator car according to the invention, on which a pivotable balustrade is arranged,

(3) FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the balustrade from FIG. 1, in an erected position,

(4) FIG. 3 shows the balustrade in the folded-down position,

(5) FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a roof of an elevator car, comprising a pivotable balustrade in the erected position, according to a further embodiment,

(6) FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a post of the balustrade according to FIG. 4 that is equipped with a locking mechanism for securing the erected position,

(7) FIG. 6 is a detailed perspective view of the locking mechanism (detail A of FIG. 5), and

(8) FIG. 7 shows the locking mechanism from FIG. 6, but in a view from the rear.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(9) FIG. 1 shows an elevator system, denoted overall by 10, for a multistory building. The elevator 10 comprises an elevator shaft 11 in which an elevator car 1 for transporting people and goods to individual floors is movable vertically up and down. The movement of the elevator car 1 is achieved by suspension means, denoted by 13, which carries the car 1 in a 2:1 suspension. In this case, the suspension means 13 may be one or more suspension cables or suspension belts.

(10) The suspension means 13 that are movable by a drive 14 carry the car 1 and a counterweight 16. Deflection rollers for forming an undersling are denoted 15, by means of which rollers the car 1 is connected to the suspension means 13. In the present case, the drive 14, which, by way of example, comprises a traction sheave that can be rotated by means of an electric motor, is fastened to a shaft roof 17 in order to form an elevator without a machine room. The drive 14 could, however, of course also be fastened to a shaft wall 12. Alternatively to the schematic embodiment of the elevator shown in FIG. 1, other elevator types and other suspension configurations would also be conceivable. With the exception of a specific balustrade 4, which will be described and shown in detail in the following, elevators 10 comprising other suspension configurations and other elevator types are also conceivable, as alternatives to the elevator variant shown in FIG. 1.

(11) The car 1 comprises a car roof 2 that closes the car 1 at the top. Since there is too large a gap between the shaft wall 12 and a side wall 3 of the car 1, it is necessary, in order to protect against falls, to provide the above-mentioned balustrade 4 on the car roof 2. The balustrade 4 can be transferred from an erected position shown in FIG. 1 into a folded-down position. The corresponding closure movement is indicated by an arrow s. For this purpose, the balustrade 4 is formed in two parts and comprises a lower stationary part 5 and an upper movable part 6. In FIG. 1, dashed lines indicate the upper part 6 in the folded-down position.

(12) In the embodiment according to FIG. 1, only one balustrade 4 is arranged and/or shown on the roof 2 of the car 1. Depending on the car and the design of the shaft, the car 1 could of course also comprise a plurality of balustrades that are each assigned to one face, respectively, of the car 1. Said further balustrades could be designed identically to the balustrade 4, or could be of a conventional rigid construction. For example, owing to the smaller gap between the car 1 and the shaft wall 12′ it would be conceivable to provide a lower balustrade on the opposing face, i.e. the face that is facing the shaft wall denoted by 12′. Said lower balustrade could function without movable parts.

(13) FIGS. 2 and 3 show a possible embodiment of a balustrade 4 according to the invention. The lower part 5 of the balustrade 4 is rigidly connected to the car roof 2. In the erected position shown in FIG. 2, the upper part 6 of the balustrade is reliably oriented vertically and secured in position as a result of a locking mechanism 7. The locking mechanism 7 comprises a latching element 8 and an engagement means 9 that cooperates therewith, which latching element and engagement means prevent a pivot movement of the upper part 6 of the balustrade inwards, in the s-direction. A possible pivot movement of the upper part 6 outwards or towards the opposing face is prevented by a vertical stop 33 that is fastened to the lower post part 22.

(14) The upper part can be pivoted about an axis of rotation that is denoted by R and extends horizontally and in parallel with the roof edge 35 of the roof 2. The pivot movement s out of the erected position can be achieved only by releasing the locking mechanism 7. For this purpose, a latching element 8 of the locking mechanism 7 can be moved downwards, in the direction of the arrow e, in order to unlock the locking mechanism 7.

(15) The balustrade 4 comprises two posts 18 that are vertical at least in the erected position and on which horizontal strips, for example the handrail denoted by 19, are attached, as required. The posts 18 are each formed in two parts and comprise a lower post part 22 and an upper post part 23 that is fastened to the lower post part so as to be pivotable about the axis of rotation R.

(16) The upper post part 23 comprises a step-like latching receptacle on the lower end thereof. Said latching receptacle forms an engagement means 9 for the engagement of the latching element 8. In this case, in this embodiment the latching element 8 is a detent cam that is assigned to the lower post part 22. The latching element 8 is pushed upwards, by means of a spring 34, into the corresponding latching receptacle of the engagement means 9.

(17) An actuation element 24, which maintenance personnel or another person on the car roof 2 can grasp, is arranged on the latching element 8. The locking of the locking mechanism 7 is released using the actuation element 24, by means of pulling the latching element 8 downwards in the e-direction. After unlocking has taken place, the upper part 6 of the balustrade 4 can be easily pivoted downwards in the s-direction.

(18) FIG. 3 shows the balustrade in the folded-down position. In the folded-down position, the balustrade 4 is oriented horizontally in portions. In this case, the upper post part 23, which extends horizontally in the folded-down position, rests on a stop 32 that is arranged on the lower post part 22.

(19) In order to establish the erected position, the upper part 6 of the balustrade 4 has to be pivoted upwards in the a-direction. When the balustrade is erected in the a-direction, the latching connection results in the balustrade 4 being automatically secured in the erected position (FIG. 2).

(20) FIG. 4 shows a pivotable balustrade 4 according to a second embodiment that is attached to a roof 2 of an elevator car 1. The balustrade 4 comprises two posts 18, 18′. A central strut 20 which is arranged approximately half-way up the balustrade is fastened to the lower post parts 22, 22′. The handrail 19 which is assigned to the upper post parts 23, 23′ that are pivotable about the axis of rotation R has an interruption in an upper region. The profile parts for the upper handrail portions 36 and 37 are connected, by means of vertical profile parts, to a continuous horizontal profile which forms a lower handrail portion 38 in the region of the interruption.

(21) As can furthermore been seen from FIG. 4, the post 18 comprises an extension. The extension is formed by a profile element 39 that adjoins the upper post part 23. A cushion 40, for example consisting of rubber or another resilient or damping material, is arranged on the free end of the extension 39. The extension 39 comprising the cushion 40 limits possible upwards travel of the car in the upwards direction and, when the balustrade 4 is in the erected position, defines a safety space for people on the car roof.

(22) A horizontal actuation element 24 of the locking mechanism 7 for securing the erected position of the balustrade 4 can be seen in FIG. 4, by means of which actuation element the latching element 8 can be displaced vertically downwards for the purpose of unlocking. Further structural details of the design of the locking mechanism 7 of the second embodiment can be found in FIGS. 5 to 7.

(23) FIG. 5 shows the posts 18 that are equipped with the locking mechanism 7. The actuation element 24 for actuating the locking mechanism 7 is mounted on the lower post part 22 so as to be pivotable about an axis of rotation R2. The lever-like actuation element 24 is arranged sufficiently low down that it can be actuated by hand or optionally also foot-actuated by maintenance personnel. The length, denoted L along an upper surface 30 in FIG. 6, by which the lever-like actuation element 24 protrudes, is ideally at least 10 cm. The distance H2, below which the actuation element 24 is arranged, with respect to the axis of rotation R, in order to pivot the balustrade, is therefore at least 10 cm.

(24) In particular when foot-actuation is intended, the distance (H1) between the actuation element 24 and the roof base or the upper face of the car should be small. The actuation element 24 then provides an advantageous foot pedal. In this case, the height H1 should be 30 cm or less.

(25) In the embodiment according to FIG. 5, the stop 32 for limiting the downwards pivot movement for the horizontal folded-down position is achieved by means of a bent portion. Said bent portion is integrally connected to the lower post part 22 that is formed of a metal sheet.

(26) The enlarged detail view according to FIG. 6 shows that, in order to displaceably mount the latching element 8 in the lower post part 22, two tongue-like guide portions 26 are provided in each case, which guide portions are received in vertical slots 25. The two guide slots 25 allow for precise guidance of the latching element 8. The actuation element 24 is in direct contact with the lower guide portions 26 of the latching element 8. If the actuation element 24 is pivoted downwards in the e′-direction, a translational movement of the latching element 8 downwards results. Said movement of the latching element 8 is indicated by the arrow e.

(27) The spring 34 creates a preload of the latching element 8 into the erected position. The spring 34 results in a restoring force that acts in the arrow direction f, as a result of which automatic latching takes place when the balustrade is erected. Pivoting the actuation element 24 back in the f′-direction also takes place under spring action.

(28) FIG. 7 clearly shows how the upper post part 23 is fixed in position in the locking position of the latching element 8. In the present case, the upper post part 23 is formed of an L-shaped angle section, the profile wall of the angle section that is denoted 27 being enclosed, in the region of the lower profile edge 28, in a sandwich-like manner between an upper sloped end 29 of the latching element 8 and a wall of the lower post part 22 that forms a stop 33. A recess 41, which is adjusted to the profile thickness of the profile wall 27, is provided in the latching element for the purpose of receiving the profile wall 27, forming an engagement means, in this sandwich-like manner. The wall, facing the latching element 8, of the profile that is L-shaped at least in portions and is intended for forming the lower post part 22, forms the vertical stop 33.

(29) FIG. 7 also shows that the spring 34, which, in the present case, by way of example, is formed by a helical compression spring, is arranged diagonally in the latching element. In this way, the spring 34 reliably retains the latching element 8 in the lower post part 22.

(30) 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.