LIFT CAR FOR A LIFT INSTALLATION AND METHOD FOR OPENING AND CLOSING A DOOR OPENING

Abstract

An elevator car for an elevator installation may include at least one side wall having a doorway and an elevator car door. For opening and/or closing the doorway, the elevator car door can be moved at least partially parallel to the side wall on an outside of the side wall. In opening and/or closing, the elevator car door can be moved at least partially in a direction perpendicular to the side wall. In the closing process, the elevator car door can be at least partially sunk in the doorway. A coupling element may couple the elevator car door to a shaft door in at least one of opening or closing the elevator car door.

Claims

1.-16. (canceled)

17. An elevator car for an elevator installation, the elevator car comprising: a side wall having a doorway; and an elevator car door, wherein for at least one of opening or closing the doorway the elevator car door is movable at least partially parallel to the side wall on an outside of the side wall, wherein in at least one of opening or closing the elevator car door is movable at least partially in a direction perpendicular to the side wall, wherein the elevator car door is configured to be at least partially sunk in the doorway when closing the elevator car door, wherein the elevator car door comprises a coupling element for coupling the elevator car door to a shaft door in at least one of opening or closing the elevator car door.

18. The elevator car of claim 17 wherein the outside of the side wall is an outside of the elevator car, wherein in closing the doorway the elevator car door is movable in a direction towards an inside of the elevator car remote from the outside of the elevator car.

19. The elevator car of claim 17 wherein dimensions of the elevator car door are substantially equal to dimensions of the doorway.

20. The elevator car of claim 17 wherein the elevator car door comprises at least two door leaves that when closing are configured to be sunk in the doorway, wherein the at least two door leaves together have dimensions that are substantially equal to dimensions of the doorway.

21. The elevator car of claim 17 wherein in a closed state the elevator car door is at least partially flush with the outside of the side wall.

22. The elevator car of claim 17 wherein the side wall in the doorway comprises a frame, wherein in a closed state the elevator car door lies at least partially against the frame.

23. The elevator car of claim 17 comprising a sealing element formed in the doorway on at least one of the side wall or the elevator car door, wherein in a closed state the sealing element is configured to at least partially seal off the elevator car door with the side wall.

24. The elevator car of claim 17 comprising a locking element configured to lock the elevator car door directly or indirectly to the side wall in closing and/or thereafter.

25. The elevator car of claim 17 wherein the coupling element is elongated and extends at least partially parallel to a direction of travel of the elevator car.

26. The elevator car of claim 17 comprising a cabin and a cabin carrier, wherein the cabin is disposed on the cabin carrier such that the cabin carrier is disposed at least partially beneath the cabin and the cabin rests on the cabin carrier.

27. The elevator car of claim 26 comprising a drive element for at least one of opening or closing the elevator car door, wherein the drive element is disposed beneath the cabin.

28. The elevator car of claim 26 wherein the cabin carrier comprises at least two arm elements that are disposed beneath the cabin and extend at least partially horizontally along a cabin floor of the cabin.

29. The elevator car of claim 28 comprising a drive element for at least one of opening or closing the elevator car door, wherein the drive element is disposed beneath the cabin between the at least two arm elements.

30. A method for closing a doorway in a side wall of an elevator car of an elevator installation, the method comprising: moving an elevator car door at least partially parallel to the side wall of the elevator car on an outside of the side wall in a direction of the doorway until the elevator car door overlaps with the doorway; and moving the elevator car door at least partially perpendicularly to the side wall into the doorway and sinking at least part of the elevator car door in the doorway.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein moving the elevator car door at least partially parallel and moving the elevator car door at least partially perpendicularly occur at least partially concurrently.

32. The method of claim 30 wherein moving the elevator car door at least partially parallel and moving the elevator car door at least partially perpendicularly occur consecutively.

33. A method for opening a doorway in a side wall of an elevator car of an elevator installation, the method comprising: moving an elevator car door sunk in the doorway at least partially perpendicularly to the side wall out of the doorway outside a plane spanned by the side wall; and moving the elevator car door at least partially parallel to the side wall of the elevator car on an outside of the side wall so that the elevator car door does not completely overlap with the doorway.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein moving the elevator car door at least partially parallel and moving the elevator car door at least partially perpendicularly occur at least partially concurrently.

35. The method of claim 33 wherein moving the elevator car door at least partially parallel and moving the elevator car door at least partially perpendicularly occur consecutively.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0038] FIGS. 1A and 1B in a schematic representation show a top view of an elevator car according to a first preferred embodiment.

[0039] FIGS. 2A to 2C in a schematic representation show details of various arrangements of an elevator car 10 according to a second preferred embodiment.

[0040] FIG. 3 in a schematic representation shows a front view of a door leaf of an an elevator car door according to a preferred embodiment.

[0041] FIG. 4 schematically shows a perspective representation of a cabin carrier for a cabin in a preferred embodiment.

[0042] In the following figures the same elements are provided with the same reference numerals, unless expressly stated otherwise. In the interests of brevity, elements in figures which have already been explained with reference to previous figures are not repeated, even though these explanations also apply to the elements shown in the other figures, unless otherwise explained.

[0043] FIG. 1A in a schematic representation shows a top view of an elevator car 10 according to a first preferred embodiment. On one side the elevator car 10 comprises a side wall 12 having a doorway 14. The elevator car 10 further comprises other side walls 16, which are not provided with a doorway 14, however. The area defined by the side walls 12 and 16 constitutes the interior 18 of the elevator car 10.

[0044] According to the first preferred embodiment the elevator car 10 further comprises an elevator car door 20, which for opening and closing the doorway 14 moves or can be displaced in a direction 100 parallel to the side wall 12. Here the elevator car door 10 runs outside the side wall 12, in particular outside a plane which is spanned by the side wall 12 or the outside 12a of the side wall. Furthermore, the elevator car door 20 can be moved in a direction 102 perpendicular to the side wall 12, in order to sink the elevator car door 20 in the doorway 14, so that an outside 20a of the elevator car door 20 preferably runs flush with an outside 12a of the side wall.

[0045] According to some embodiments a movement of the elevator car door 20 in the direction 102 can occur only when the elevator car door 20, in the direction 100 parallel to the side wall 12, is situated in a position in which the elevator car door 20 overlaps at least partially, but preferably largely or even entirely, with the doorway 14.

[0046] FIG. 1B, by way of example, shows an arrangement in which the elevator car door 20 of the elevator car 12 according to the first preferred embodiment overlaps fully with the doorway 14 of the side wall 12. Here the elevator car door 10 runs outside the side wall, in particular outside a plane which is spanned by the side wall 12 or the outside 12a of the side wall.

[0047] FIGS. 2A to 2C in a schematic representation show details of various arrangements of an elevator car 10 according to a second preferred embodiment. The elevator car 10 here comprises an elevator car door 20, which comprises two door leaves 20a or two door wings. FIG. 2A shows the elevator car 10 in a closed state, in which the two door leaves 20a close the doorway 14 and are sunk in the doorway 14 in such a way that the outsides of the door leaves 20a are arranged flush with the outside 12a of the side wall 12. A shaft door 22 is furthermore represented, which likewise comprises two door leaves 22a. According to the embodiment shown both the elevator car door 20 and the shaft door 22 take the form of a sliding door. The elevator car 10 here is arranged in such a way that the elevator car door 20 overlaps with the shaft door 22, as is the case, for example, when the elevator car 10 has been run to a stop level.

[0048] The two door leaves 20a of the elevator car door 20 and the two door leaves 22a of the shaft door 22 are each equipped with a coupling element 24 or 26, the coupling elements 24 and 26 being arranged in such a way that a coupling element 26 of a door leaf 22a of the shaft door 22 is in each case situated opposite a coupling element 24 of a door leaf 20a of the elevator car door 20. The coupling elements 24 and 26 are designed in such a way that in each case a coupling element 24 of the elevator car door 20 can engage in a coupling element 26 of the shaft door 22.

[0049] Since, as shown in FIG. 2A, the elevator car door 20 is sunk in the doorway 14, there is a clearance between the coupling elements 24 and 26 in which engagement of the coupling elements 24 and 26 does not occur as the elevator car 10 travels past a shaft door 22, but the elevator car 10 is instead able to pass the shaft door 22 safely without fear of any collision.

[0050] FIG. 2B shows an arrangement in which the doorway 14 of the elevator car 10 is being opened or closed. For this purpose, the two door leaves 20a of the elevator car door 20 are first moved outwards perpendicularly to the side wall 12, i.e. in the opposite direction to the interior 18 of the elevator car 10, so that the door leaves 20a of the elevator car door 20 are no longer sunk in the doorway 14. The elevator car door 20 is then arranged outside the side wall 12, in particular outside a plane which is spanned by the side wall 12 or the outside 12a of the side wall 12. As a result, the coupling elements 24 of the elevator car door 20 engage in the respective coupling elements 26 of the shaft door 22.

[0051] FIG. 2C shows an arrangement in a second step when opening or closing the doorway 14. Here the door leaves 20a of the elevator car door 20 are or have been moved in the direction 100 parallel to the side wall 12, in order to open or expose the doorway 14. This is done, in particular, through a movement of the door leaves 20a in an opposite direction to the doorway 14. Due to the interconnected coupling elements 24 and 26, the opening or movement of the elevator car door 20 or the door leaves 20a at the same time also opens or moves the shaft door 22 or the door leaves 22a of the shaft door. In other words, a passive movement of the shaft door 22 ensues from an active or driven movement of the elevator car door 20, due to a coupling of the coupling elements 24 and 26 of the elevator car door and the shaft door respectively. In other words, in opening or moving the elevator car door 20, the shaft door 22 is also drawn or pushed along with it. Alternatively, the shaft door 22 may also be actively moved or driven and the elevator car door 20 drawn or pushed along with it. In closing the doorway 14 substantially the same sequence of movements occurs in reverse order.

[0052] FIG. 3 shows a front view of a door leaf 20a of the elevator car door 20 according to a preferred embodiment. It can be seen here that the coupling element 24 is of elongated formation and extends in a vertical direction over a part of the door leaf 20a. In particular, according to the embodiment shown the coupling element 24 takes the form of coupling rail or a coupling dog or a drive dog. The elongated shape of the coupling element 24 allows the elevator car to engage by way of the coupling element 24 in a shaft-side coupling element 26 of the shaft door 22, even though the elevator car has not yet reached its ultimate position at the elevator stop level, and the relative position of the elevator car door 20 and of the coupling element 24 relative to the shaft door and to the coupling element 26 may still alter. This allows the elevator car door 20 and a shaft door 22 coupled thereto to be opened even before the elevator car 10 has reached its ultimate rest position at the elevator stop level.

[0053] FIG. 4 by way of example shows a perspective representation of a cabin carrier 28 according to a preferred embodiment. The cabin carrier 28 comprises two arm elements 30, which run at least partially horizontally and form a fork or a supporting surface, on which a cabin of the elevator car (not shown) can be arranged. The arm elements 30 furthermore each have a bend, so that the arm elements on another side of the bend each comprise a portion 32 running substantially vertically. The vertical portions 32 extend substantially parallel to side walls of the cabin, when this is arranged on the cabin carrier 28. At the upper end of the vertical portions of the arm elements 30 the arm elements 30 are connected by means of a bearing mount 34, the bearing mount 34, for example, being designed to receive an outer bearing ring of a pivot bearing, by means of which the cabin carrier 30 and therefore the cabin or the elevator car 10 can be fixed to the shaft or to a drive system formed on the shaft.

[0054] In side view the cabin carrier 28 is substantially L-shaped. The horizontally running arm elements 30 are formed in the manner of a fork or a forklift; so that the cabin of an elevator car 10 can rest on the fork (here the horizontal arms 30) with its cabin floor. Comfort elements, such as active and/or passive damping and/or spring elements, for example, may optionally be arranged between the cabin floor and the cabin carrier 28.

REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0055] 10 elevator car [0056] 12 side wall (with doorway) [0057] 14 doorway [0058] 16 side wall (without doorway) [0059] 18 interior of the elevator car [0060] 20 elevator car door [0061] 20a door wing of the elevator car door [0062] 22 shaft door [0063] 22a door wing of the shaft door [0064] 24 coupling element (of the elevator car door) [0065] 26 coupling element (of the shaft door) [0066] 28 cabin carrier [0067] 30 arm element [0068] 32 vertical portion of an arm element [0069] 34 bearing mount