Rope sway reducing arrangement for weight based hindering of lateral sway of an elongate rope-like means in an elevator hoistway

Abstract

A rope sway reducing arrangement hinders a lateral sway of an elongate rope-like device having one end attached to a movable component displaceable within an elevator hoistway and another end attached to a fixed position within the hoistway. The sway reducing arrangement includes an elongate guide arrangement having two spanning ropes fixedly attached within and extending in a longitudinal direction of the hoistway. The sway reducing arrangement further includes a rope tensioning arrangement having a weight member and being mechanically connected to the guide arrangement for displacement and guiding along the longitudinal direction of the guide arrangement. The mechanical connection is via an engagement member to generate tensioning forces onto the rope-like device due to gravity-induced forces resulting from a weight of the weight member. Thereby, the rope-like device is held at the guide arrangement with a downward directed mechanical tension thereby preventing excessive lateral sway.

Claims

1. A rope sway reducing arrangement for hindering a lateral sway of an elongate rope-like device in a hoistway of an elevator system, one end of the rope-like device being attached to a movable component displaceable within the hoistway and another end of the rope-like device being attached to a fixed position within the hoistway, the arrangement comprising: an elongate guide arrangement fixedly attached within the hoistway and extending in a longitudinal direction of the hoistway; a rope tensioning arrangement including a weight member; wherein the rope tensioning arrangement is mechanically connected to the guide arrangement and is displaceable along the longitudinal direction of the guide arrangement and is guided by the guide arrangement; wherein the rope tensioning arrangement is mechanically connected to the rope-like device; wherein the rope tensioning arrangement generates tensioning forces onto the rope-like device due to gravity-induced forces resulting from a weight of the weight member of the rope tensioning arrangement, the weight member being positioned below the rope-like device in the hoistway; and wherein the guide arrangement includes at least one spanning rope extending in the longitudinal direction between a top portion of the hoistway and a bottom portion of the hoistway.

2. The rope sway reducing arrangement according to claim 1 wherein the rope tensioning arrangement includes a ring member enclosing the at least one spanning rope to thereby guide the rope tensioning arrangement along the at least one spanning rope in the longitudinal direction.

3. The rope sway reducing arrangement according to claim 2 wherein the rope tensioning arrangement includes an engagement member mechanically connected to the ring member and engaging with the rope-like device to transmit the tensioning forces onto the rope-like device.

4. The rope sway reducing arrangement according to claim 3 wherein the engagement member engages an upwards directed surface of a lowermost portion of a U-shaped section of a loosely hanging portion of the rope-like device.

5. The rope sway reducing arrangement according to claim 1 wherein the guide arrangement includes two spanning ropes extending in parallel in the longitudinal direction between a top portion of the hoistway and a bottom portion of the hoistway.

6. The rope sway reducing arrangement according to claim 5 wherein the rope tensioning arrangement includes two ring members each enclosing one of the spanning ropes to thereby guide the rope tensioning arrangement along the spanning ropes in the longitudinal direction.

7. The rope sway reducing arrangement according to claim 6 wherein the rope tensioning arrangement includes an engagement member mechanically connected to the ring members and engaging with the rope-like device to transmit the tensioning forces onto the rope-like device.

8. The rope sway reducing arrangement according to claim 7 wherein the engagement member engages an upwards directed surface of a lowermost portion of a U-shaped section of a loosely hanging portion of the rope-like device.

9. The rope sway reducing arrangement according to claim 7 wherein the engagement member is a rope-like connector extending between the ring members.

10. The rope sway reducing arrangement according to claim 5 wherein one of the spanning ropes extends along a first lateral side of a loosely hanging portion of the rope-like device and another of the spanning ropes extends along a second lateral side of the loosely hanging portion of the rope-like device opposite to the first lateral side.

11. The rope sway reducing arrangement according to claim 1 wherein the weight member has a weight of between 4 kg and 100 kg.

12. The rope sway reducing arrangement according to claim 1 including a protection means protecting the rope-like device against wear upon engagement of a portion of the rope tensioning arrangement with the rope-like device.

13. An elevator system including the rope sway reducing arrangement according to claim 1 comprising: the movable component displaceable within the hoistway of the elevator system; the rope-like device having the one end of the rope-like device being attached to the movable component and the another end of the rope-like device being attached to the fixed position within the hoistway; and wherein the rope sway reducing arrangement is mechanically connected to the rope-like device.

14. A rope sway reducing arrangement for hindering a lateral sway of an elongate rope-like device in a hoistway of an elevator system, one end of the rope-like device being attached to a movable component displaceable within the hoistway and another end of the rope-like device being attached to a fixed position within the hoistway, the arrangement comprising: an elongate guide arrangement fixedly attached within the hoistway and extending in a longitudinal direction of the hoistway; a rope tensioning arrangement including a weight member; wherein the rope tensioning arrangement is mechanically connected to the guide arrangement and is displaceable along the longitudinal direction of the guide arrangement and is guided by the guide arrangement; wherein the rope tensioning arrangement is mechanically connected to the rope-like device; wherein the rope tensioning arrangement generates tensioning forces onto the rope-like device due to gravity-induced forces resulting from a weight of the weight member of the rope tensioning arrangement; wherein the guide arrangement includes two spanning ropes extending in parallel in the longitudinal direction between a top portion of the hoistway and a bottom portion of the hoistway; wherein the rope tensioning arrangement includes two ring members each enclosing one of the spanning ropes to thereby guide the rope tensioning arrangement along the spanning ropes in the longitudinal direction; wherein the rope tensioning arrangement includes an engagement member mechanically connected to the ring members and engaging with the rope-like device to transmit the tensioning forces onto the rope-like device; wherein the engagement member engages an upwards directed surface of a lowermost portion of a U-shaped section of a loosely hanging portion of the rope-like device; and wherein the engagement member is a rope-like connector extending between the ring members.

15. A rope sway reducing arrangement for hindering a lateral sway of an elongate rope-like device in a hoistway of an elevator system, one end of the rope-like device being attached to a movable component displaceable within the hoistway and another end of the rope-like device being attached to a fixed position within the hoistway, the arrangement comprising: an elongate guide arrangement fixedly attached within the hoistway and extending in a longitudinal direction of the hoistway; a rope tensioning arrangement including a weight member; wherein the rope tensioning arrangement is mechanically connected to the guide arrangement and is displaceable along the longitudinal direction of the guide arrangement and is guided by the guide arrangement; wherein the rope tensioning arrangement is mechanically connected to the rope-like device; wherein the rope tensioning arrangement generates tensioning forces onto the rope-like device due to gravity-induced forces resulting from a weight of the weight member of the rope tensioning arrangement; wherein the guide arrangement includes at least one spanning rope extending in the longitudinal direction between a top portion of the hoistway and a bottom portion of the hoistway; and wherein the rope tensioning arrangement includes a ring member enclosing the at least one spanning rope to thereby guide the rope tensioning arrangement along the at least one spanning rope in the longitudinal direction.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 shows an elevator system comprising a rope sway reducing arrangement according to an embodiment of the present invention.

(2) FIG. 2 shows details of a rope sway reducing arrangement according to an embodiment of the present invention.

(3) The figures are only schematic representations and are not to scale. Same reference signs refer to same or similar features throughout the figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(4) FIG. 1 shows an elevator system 1 comprising two movable components such as an elevator car 3 and a counterweight 5 both being displaceable within a hoistway 7. The car 3 and the counterweight 5 are suspended and may be displaced using a suspension traction means 9 being driven by a traction sheave 11 of a driving engine 12.

(5) Furthermore, the elevator system 1 comprises a rope-like means or device 13. The rope-like means may be any elongate means being bendable like a rope. For example, the rope-like means may be a rope, a belt, a cable, a wire or combinations of one or more such components.

(6) One end 33 of the rope-like means 13 is attached to a fixed position 31 within the hoistway 7 and may be connected for example to a control unit 39 of the elevator system 1 controlling motions of the drive engine 12 and/or controlling functions of other components of the elevator system 1 such as functions of the elevator car 3. Furthermore, the rope-like means 13 may be connected to an electric power supply (not shown). An opposite end 35 of the rope-like means 13 is connected to the car 3 and may therefore move together with the car 3 throughout the hoistway 7.

(7) As the rope-like means 13 is generally flexible in lateral directions, i.e. is bendable, and as furthermore the rope-like means 13 is only attached with its ends 33, 35 to components of the elevator system 1, an intermediate portion of the rope-like means 13 may generally be freely displaced within the hoistway 7. This is particularly true for a loosely hanging portion 37 of the rope-like means 13. Such loosely hanging portion 37 generally forms a generally U-shaped section 41 with one branch 40 being formed by a portion of the rope-like means 13 being attached to the car 3 and another branch 42 being formed by a portion of the rope-like means 13 being attached to the fixed position 31. Generally, this loosely hanging portion 37 is not mechanically tensioned except by its own weight and may therefore easily be moved within the hoistway 7. Particularly, this loosely hanging portion 37 may laterally sway within the hoistway 7 in a side direction, shown as x-direction (FIG. 2), and/or in forward/backward direction perpendicular to the side direction, shown as y-direction.

(8) In order to limit such ability for lateral swaying of the rope-like means 13, the elevator system 1 further comprises a rope sway reducing arrangement 15. This RSR arrangement 15 comprises an elongate guide arrangement 17 and a rope tensioning arrangement 21. Therein, the RSR arrangement 15 is specifically adapted for generating forces onto the rope-like means 13 for mechanically tensioning the rope-like means 13 in a downward direction and, optionally, towards the guide arrangement 17 thereby reducing its ability for lateral swaying.

(9) The elongate guide arrangement 17 is fixedly attached within the hoistway 7 and extends in its longitudinal vertical direction. The rope tensioning arrangement 21 comprises a weight member 25 and is mechanically connected to the guide arrangement 17 such that the rope tensioning arrangement 21 is displaceable along the longitudinal direction of the guide arrangement 17 and is guided by the guide arrangement 17 upon any vertical motion.

(10) Furthermore, the rope tensioning arrangement 21 is mechanically connected to the rope-like means 13 in a lowermost loosely hanging portion 37 thereof, this lowermost portion 37 forming the U-shaped section 41. Due to such mechanical connection, the rope tensioning arrangement 21 may transmit tensioning forces 49 (FIG. 2) onto the rope-like means 13 which are generated due to the weight member 25 being drawn downwardly as a result of gravity.

(11) As shown in more detail in FIG. 2, an exemplary embodiment of the rope sway reducing arrangement 15 comprises an elongate guide arrangement 17 formed by two parallel spanning ropes 19′, 19″ (19 in FIG. 1). These spanning ropes 19′, 19″ may be spanned between a top portion such as a roof 43 of the hoistway 7 and a bottom portion such as the bottom 45 of the hoistway 7. The two spanning ropes 19′, 19″ may be arranged in parallel to each other and with a sufficient spacing in x-direction to each such that the U-shaped section 41 at the lowermost loosely hanging portion 37 of the rope-like means 13 may be enclosed in between these two spanning ropes 19′, 19″. Accordingly, the two spanning ropes 19′, 19″ may already limit any sway of the rope-like means 13 in the sideways direction, i.e. in the x-direction.

(12) In order to further limit such x-directed swaying and, particularly, in order to additionally limit any swaying in a forward/rearward direction, i.e. in the y-direction, the rope tensioning arrangement 21 further connects the U-shaped section 41 with the spanning ropes 19′, 19″ of the guide arrangement 17 and, furthermore, generates a downward-directed tensioning force 49 onto this U-shaped section 41.

(13) For such purpose, the rope tensioning arrangement 21 comprises two ring members 23′, 23″ (23 in FIG. 1). each ring member 23′, 23″ being provided at one of the spanning ropes 19′, 19″ and enclosing this spanning rope 19′, 19″. In the example shown, the ring members 23′, 23″ are provided as cylindrical elements enclosing the spanning ropes 19′, 19″. Therein, each of the cylindrical ring members 23′, 23″ is provided with a substantial weight thereby integrally forming the weight members 25′, 25″ (25 in FIG. 1).

(14) It may be mentioned that instead of forming the ring member 23 and the weight member 25 integrally as a single piece, such components may be provided as separate pieces being mechanically connected to each other.

(15) In order to transmit the gravity-induced forces of the weight members 25′, 25″ to the rope-like element 13, an engagement member 26 formed by a rope-like connector 27 is provided. The rope-like connector 27 is connected at opposite ends to each of the ring members 23′, 23″ and weight members 25′, 25″. Intermediate to such opposite ends, the rope-like connector 27 engages with the rope-like means 13 in such a manner such as to enable transmitting the tensioning forces 49 onto the rope-like means 13.

(16) In the example shown in FIG. 2, the rope-like connector 27 forms an engagement member 26 which engages behind an upward directed surface 47 of the lowermost portion of the U-shaped section 41.

(17) During motion of the elevator car 3 within the hoistway 7, the lowermost U-shaped section 41 of the rope-like means 13 attached to the car 3 continuously moves throughout the hoistway 7 in its longitudinal direction. In other words, when the car 3 moves upwards, it will also pull the lowermost U-shaped portion 41 in an upward direction. However, due to the tensioning forces transmitted by the rope tensioning arrangement 15 to the U-shaped section 41, the rope-like member 13 stays always mechanically tensioned, a tensioning force 49 corresponding to the combined weight of the weight members 25′, 25″. On the one hand, such weight should not be too low in order to effectively limit any swaying of the loose portion 37 of the rope-like means 13. On the other hand, the weight should not be too heavy in order to not unnecessarily hinder the car's 3 motion. Typically, each of the weight members 25′, 25″ may have a weight of between 2 and 50 kg.

(18) Furthermore, in order to protect, inter alia, a surface of the rope-like means 13 being in contact with the rope-like connector 27, a protection means 29 may be provided. Such protection means 29 may be interposed between the rope-like means 13 and the rope-like connector 27 such as to, inter alia, avoid any sharp edges and/or spread the tensioning forces 49 throughout an enlarged surface of the rope-like means 13. Thereby, the protection member 29 may prevent excessive wear both at the rope-like means 13 and at the rope-like connector 27.

(19) Finally, it should be noted that the term “comprising” does not exclude other elements or steps and the “a” or “an” does not exclude a plurality. Also elements described in association with different embodiments may be combined.

(20) 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.

LIST OF REFERENCE SIGNS

(21) 1 elevator system 3 car 5 counterweight 7 hoistway 9 suspension traction member 11 traction sheave 12 drive engine 13 rope-like means 15 rope sway reducing arrangement 17 guide arrangement 19 spanning rope 21 rope tensioning arrangement 23 ring member 25 weight member 26 engagement member 27 rope-like connector 29 protection means 31 fixed position 33 one end of rope-like means 35 other end of rope-like means 37 loosely hanging portion of rope-like means 39 elevator control 40 first branch of U-shaped section 41 U-shaped section 42 second branch of U-shaped section 43 roof of hoistway 45 bottom of hoistway 47 upwards directed surface of U-shaped section 49 tensioning forces