SLIDING GUIDE SHOE FOR AN ELEVATOR AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING A SLIDING GUIDE SHOE

Abstract

A guide shoe for an elevator is formed entirely of plastic materials and includes a guide shoe housing, a damping element and a guide element that are firmly bonded to one another and form a one-piece composite structure. The composite structure is produced by a three-component injection molding process.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a sliding guide shoe for an elevator, the method comprising the steps of: providing a mold for producing a sliding guide shoe first component; injecting a first plastic material into the mold thereby forming the first component either as a guide shoe housing or as a sliding element; producing a composite structure by injection molding a second plastic material onto the first component thereby forming a sliding guide shoe second component on the first component, the second component being the sliding element or a damping element when the first component is the guide shoe housing, and the second component being the guide shoe housing or the damping element when the first component is the sliding element; and when the second component is the damping element, completing the composite structure by molding a third plastic material onto the second component thereby forming a sliding guide shoe third component, the third component being the sliding element when the first component is the guide shoe housing, and the third component being the guide shoe housing when the first component is the sliding element.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein at least two of the guide shoe housing, the sliding element and the damping element are made of different plastic materials.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the guide shoe housing includes a circumferential shoulder contour securing an edge of the sliding element.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the sliding element includes a circumferential positive locking collar engaging in a positive locking groove of the guide shoe housing.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the sliding element includes a plurality of sub-elements extending from faces of the sliding element proximal a guide rail along which the sliding guide shoe travels.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the sliding guide shoe is adapted for guiding an elevator car or a counterweight along a guide rail.

7. A method for manufacturing a sliding guide shoe for an elevator, the method comprising the steps of: providing a mold for producing a guide shoe housing; injecting a first plastic material into the mold thereby forming the guide shoe housing; producing a composite structure by injection molding a second plastic material onto the guide shoe housing, the second plastic material thereby forming a sliding element or a damping element on the guide shoe housing; and when the second plastic material forms the damping element, molding a third plastic material onto the damping element thereby forming the sliding element.

8. The method according to claim 7 wherein the damping element is included in the composite structure and wherein the guide shoe housing, the sliding element and the damping element are each made of different plastic materials.

9. The method according to claim 7 wherein at least two of the guide shoe housing, the sliding element and the damping element are made of different plastic materials.

10. The method according to claim 7 wherein the guide shoe housing includes a circumferential shoulder contour securing an edge of the sliding element.

11. The method according to claim 7 wherein the sliding element includes a circumferential positive locking collar engaging in a positive locking groove of the guide shoe housing.

12. The method according to claim 7 wherein the sliding element includes a plurality of sub-elements extending from faces of the sliding element proximal a guide rail along which the sliding guide shoe travels.

13. The method according to claim 7 wherein the sliding guide shoe is adapted for guiding an elevator car or a counterweight along a guide rail.

14. A method for manufacturing a sliding guide shoe for an elevator, the method comprising the steps of: providing a mold for producing a sliding element; injecting a first plastic material into the mold thereby forming the sliding element; producing a composite structure by injection molding a second plastic material onto the sliding element, the second plastic material thereby forming a guide shoe housing or a damping element on the sliding element; and when the second plastic material forms the damping element, molding a third plastic material onto the damping element thereby forming the guide shoe housing.

15. The method according to claim 14 wherein the damping element is included in the composite structure and wherein the guide shoe housing, the sliding element and the damping element are each made of different plastic materials.

16. The method according to claim 14 wherein at least two of the guide shoe housing, the sliding element and the damping element are made of different plastic materials.

17. The method according to claim 14 wherein the guide shoe housing includes a circumferential shoulder contour securing an edge of the sliding element.

18. The method according to claim 14 wherein the sliding element includes a circumferential positive locking collar engaging in a positive locking groove of the guide shoe housing.

19. The method according to claim 14 wherein the sliding element includes a plurality of sub-elements extending from faces of the sliding element proximal a guide rail along which the sliding guide shoe travels.

20. The method according to claim 14 wherein the sliding guide shoe is adapted for guiding an elevator car or a counterweight along a guide rail.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] Further advantages and individual features are apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments and from the drawings. In the figures:

[0038] FIG. 1 shows a simplified top view of an elevator with an elevator car guided on guide rails via sliding guide shoes according to the invention,

[0039] FIG. 2 shows a sectional view of a sliding guide shoe according to the invention comprising two components,

[0040] FIG. 3 shows a sectional view of a variant of the sliding guide shoe according to FIG. 2, wherein the sliding guide shoe comprises three components,

[0041] FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of a sliding guide shoe according to the invention comprising three components,

[0042] FIG. 5 shows a method according to the invention for producing a sliding guide shoe in a highly simplified illustration and in a sectional view,

[0043] FIG. 6 shows an alternative sliding guide shoe to the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 3,

[0044] FIG. 7 shows a sectional view of another exemplary embodiment of a sliding guide shoe,

[0045] FIG. 8 shows a sectional view of an exemplary embodiment of a sliding guide shoe with positive connection between sliding element and guide shoe housing,

[0046] FIG. 9 shows a perspective view with partial sections of a two-component sliding guide shoe with half-sections,

[0047] FIG. 10 shows a perspective view of the sliding element for the sliding guide shoe from FIG. 9, and

[0048] FIG. 11 shows a variant of the sliding guide shoe according to FIG. 9, wherein the sliding guide shoe comprises three components.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0049] FIG. 1 shows an elevator, collectively denoted by 1, with an elevator car 2, which is guided vertically between two guide rails 4 and can be moved up and down in the z-direction in an elevator shaft which is not shown. The linear guide with the guide rail 4 in the present example is formed by a T-profile extending in the longitudinal z-direction. At least one sliding guide shoe 3 is arranged on each side of the car 2 for guiding the car 2. For optimum guidance, elevator cars generally have four (two on each side) or more sliding guide shoes. Likewise, a counterweight (not shown) connected to the car by suspension means in the form of ropes or belts may have identically formed sliding guide shoes (not shown here) for guiding the counterweight on counterweight guide rails.

[0050] The sliding guide shoe 3 substantially consists in a manner known per se of the following two components: a guide shoe housing 5 and a sliding element 7. The guide shoe housing 5 serves, on the one hand, to hold the sliding element 7 and, on the other hand, to connect it to the elevator car. The guide shoe housing 5 can be connected directly to the car 2 as shown in FIG. 1 or can be attached to a bracket (not shown), the bracket forming a connecting element to the car. The sliding element 7 is arranged in a channel-like receptacle in the guide shoe housing 5. The sliding element 7 consists of a material and/or surfaces with good sliding properties facing the guide rail 4, so that a good and low-wear guidance of the car 2 on the guide rails 4 is made possible. The sliding element 7 in the present case is obviously U-shaped.

[0051] A special feature of the sliding guide shoe 3 according to the invention is that the guide shoe housing 5 and the sliding element 7 together form a one-piece composite structure. Guide shoe housing 5 and sliding element 7 are thus captively connected to each other. This results in an advantageous compact sliding guide shoe that can be used as a single-use or disposable component. Since such a sliding guide shoe 3 can be produced in a simple and cost-effective manner, the sliding guide shoe as a whole can be disposed of when it reaches the end of its service life and can be replaced by a new sliding guide shoe.

[0052] FIG. 2 shows a sliding guide shoe 3 comprising two components in an enlarged view. The guide shoe housing 5 has a base portion 8 which is attached directly or indirectly to the car 2. The guide shoe housing 5 also has two support portions 9 projecting at right angles from the base section 8. The support portions 9 define a channel-like receptacle in which the U-shaped sliding element is arranged. For reinforcing, ribs 10 are provided, each of which supports the support portions 9 towards the base section 8. The sliding element 7 is firmly bonded to the guide shoe housing 5 and thus forms a common molded body therewith.

[0053] It is particularly advantageous if the sliding guide shoe 3 is manufactured in a two-component injection molding process. The guide shoe housing 5 can be an injection-molded part made of a first plastic material, onto which a second plastic material for producing the sliding element 7 is injected molded. However, it is also conceivable to provide a metal guide shoe housing 5 onto which a plastic material for producing the sliding element 7 is injection molded by an injection molding process. It would even be possible to first configure the two components, thus the guide shoe housing 5 and the sliding element 7, as separate parts and to connect them to each other by gluing.

[0054] The guide shoe housing 5 can be made of a high-strength plastic material, for example a thermoplastic. This plastic material can be easily injection molded. The plastic material can be, for example, PE, PP, PA, PS, PES, PUR, POM, PEEK or TPE. For a stable, rigid housing, it is preferred to use a fiber-reinforced plastic material, for example, a glass fiber-reinforced plastic material for the guide shoe housing 5. For example, the guide shoe housing 5 can be made of fiber-reinforced POM, a high degree of rigidity, strength and hardness is ensured and the guide shoe housing is also characterized by good dimensional stability and high mechanical and chemical stability.

[0055] The sliding element 7 is also made of an injection-moldable plastic material, wherein with regard to the sliding function, the plastic material for the sliding element 7 should be characterized by a low coefficient of friction. POM or UHMW-PE, for example, meets these requirements. The sliding element 7 could of course also be made of other suitable materials.

[0056] FIG. 3 shows a variant of a sliding guide shoe 3 in which, in addition, a damping element 6 is provided. The damping element 5 arranged between sliding element 7 and guide shoe housing 5 has the function of damping any noises and vibrations that may occur during car travel. The sliding guide shoe 3 is preferably a composite structure consisting entirely of plastic materials. The damping element 6 can be made of SBR, TUR, EPDM, NBR, NR, for example. From a production point of view, it is advantageous to use an elastic, injection-moldable plastic material, for example a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), for the damping element 6.

[0057] The three substantial components of the sliding guide shoe 3, thus the guide shoe housing 5, the damping element 6 and the sliding element 7, are made of different plastic materials, depending on the intended function of the respective component, and are firmly bonded to each other. Such a sliding guide shoe 3 can be produced using a three-component injection molding process.

[0058] FIG. 4 shows a sliding guide shoe 3 in a perspective illustration which shows some constructional details. For example, it can be seen in FIG. 4 that the guide shoe housing has openings 29 for attachment to a bracket or directly to the car. As an example, there are three openings 29 arranged in the base portion 8, through which fastening screws, with which the guide shoe housing can be screwed to the car, can be inserted.

[0059] For safe and proper operation of the elevator, it may be necessary to wet the guide rails with oil or another lubricant. The guide rails are covered with a light film of oil as soon as the car moves. For this purpose, a lubrication attachment (not shown) can be used, which can be optionally attached to the guide shoe housing 5 in the region of the long side denoted by 24. However, instead of a lubrication attachment, other connecting elements would also be conceivable.

[0060] A process sequence for producing a sliding guide shoe according to the invention is shown in FIGS. 5 a-f. In a first step, the guide shoe housing is manufactured. A mold 12 is provided for this purpose (FIG. 5a). The mold 12 comprises a die 13 and a core 14. The die defines the outer contour of the guide shoe housing and can be configured in multiple parts for easy removal of the finished injection-molded part. The core 14 defines a channel-like receptacle in the guide shoe housing. Now, plastic material is injected in liquid form into the mold 12 to produce the guide shoe housing 5 (FIG. 5b). Thereafter, the core 14 is removed again from the die 13 and a second core 15 with narrower dimensions is inserted into the die 13 to prepare the mold 12′ (FIG. 5c). To form the one-piece composite structure for the sliding guide shoe, a second component, which can already be the sliding element or the damping element, can now be molded onto the guide shoe housing 5. For this purpose, a second plastic material is injected into the mold 12′. The second plastic material bonds with the first plastic material whereby a two-component molding consisting of the guide shoe housing 5 and the damping element 6 (FIG. 5d) is created. In this process step, the second plastic material is injection molded onto the guide shoe housing 5. Injection molding is preferably carried out when the blank for the guide shoe housing is still hot. However, it is also conceivable to injection mold the second plastic material only after the blank has cooled down partially or completely. Under certain circumstances, adhesive agents could be used in addition. Thereafter, the third component can be introduced. To do this, the core 15 is first removed from the die 13 and a narrower third core 16 is inserted into the die 13 to create the mold 12″ (FIG. 5e). This core 16 is substantially adapted to the guide rail (not shown here), taking into account the shrinkage behavior of the plastic material used and the desired play. A third plastic material is injected into the mold 12″ with die 13 and core 16. In this process step, the third plastic material is injection molded onto the damping element 6 to produce the sliding element 7. The third plastic material bonds with the second plastic material whereby finally a molding built from three components and consisting of the guide shoe housing 5, damping element 6 and sliding element 7 (FIG. 5f) is created. Injection molding is preferably carried out when the damping element 7 is still hot. However, it is also conceivable to injection mold the third plastic material only after the plastic material for the damping element 7 has cooled down partially or completely. Under certain circumstances, adhesive agents could also be used here.

[0061] The method described above is known as three-component injection molding process. The sliding guide shoe 3 produced in this way is a composite structure consisting entirely of plastic materials, wherein the guide shoe housing 5, the sliding element 6 and the damping element 7 are firmly bonded to each other, thus creating a compact, inexpensive, single-use sliding guide shoe that can be produced without assembly work. Since no separate elements have to be assembled manually or by machine, sliding guide shoes can be produced in large quantities in a simple and efficient manner. The method described is shortened for the sliding guide shoe which consists of only two components; the two-component sliding guide shoe is already finished after completion of the step according to FIG. 5d, wherein a suitable plastic material is selected as the second plastic material for forming the sliding element. The core 15 of the mold would in this case be adapted to the guide rail (cf. FIG. 5c).

[0062] Depending on the materials used for the respective components (sliding element 7, damping element 6, guide shoe housing 5), a firmly bonded connection of the components is not or not sufficiently possible. Shrinkage can cause separating gaps between the components. For a safe connection of the components to each other, positive locking means must therefore be provided, whereby the guide shoe housing 5, the sliding element 7 and damping element 6 are positively connected to each other. Such a positive connection can be achieved by adapting the shape of the components. For this purpose, reference is made to the following FIGS. 6 to 11.

[0063] In the process sequence shown in FIG. 5 for producing the sliding guide shoe, the components are produced from the outside to the inside. In an alternative method for producing a sliding guide shoe according to the invention, the process sequence according to FIGS. 5a-f can take place in an analogous but reversed manner. In this case, first the sliding element 7 would thus be produced first by an injection molding process, then the damping element 6 would be injection molded onto the sliding element 7 and finally the guide shoe housing 5 would be injection molded onto the blank comprising sliding element 7 and damping element 6.

[0064] As can be seen in FIGS. 6 and 7, the sliding element 7 does not necessarily have to have a U-profile shape. As shown in FIG. 6, for example, the sliding element 7 could be formed in multiple parts and consist of three flat sub-elements 7′, 7″ and 7′″. Such sub-elements 7′, 7″ and 7′″ can also be easily produced by an injection molding process and connected to the rest of the sliding guide shoe. By injection molding onto the preferably still hot blank, it can be ensured that these individual elements 7 too are connected to the damping element 6 in a firmly bonded and thus captive manner.

[0065] Thanks to the two-component or three-component injection molding process, even more complicated shapes are possible. For example, as FIG. 7 shows, the sliding element 7 can be composed of a multiplicity of sub-elements, each of which has a curved cross-section, at least in certain sections.

[0066] The guide shoe housing 5 could have other shapes instead of the exemplary shape shown with the plate-like base portion 8 and the two walls projecting at right angles away from the base portion 8 and forming the support portions 9. By adapting the shape, it would also be possible to dispense with the ribs 10. Furthermore, it is conceivable, in particular for short guide shoe housings, to provide only one opening 29 on each side for a fastening screw. It would then be conceivable to configure the guide shoe housing 5 as a hollow body. The cavity of the hollow body could be used to receive oil for lubricating the guide rails.

[0067] FIG. 8 shows a two-component sliding guide shoe 3, in which the sliding element 7 is positively received and secured in the guide shoe housing 5. For the positive connection, the sliding element 7 has a rib 17 which extends in the longitudinal direction z in the region of the underside and has a rib shape triangular in cross-section which engages in a complementary groove 18 in the guide shoe housing 5. Furthermore, the sliding element 7 is secured at the edge by a shoulder contour 20. Of course, other means of positive locking means than those shown here would also be conceivable. For example, instead of the elongated ribs 17 and grooves 18, positive locking means could also be provided at points in the interface between sliding element 7 and guide shoe housing 5. Positive locking means could be, for example, peg-like projections which are accommodated and engaged in complementary recesses.

[0068] In the exemplary embodiment according to FIG. 9, the sliding guide shoe 3 has a sliding element 7 with a circumferential positive locking collar 19, wherein the positive locking collar 19 engages in a positive locking groove 28 of the guide shoe housing 5. The outer edge of the groove 28 forms a circumferential shoulder contour 20 in the guide shoe housing 5, with which the sliding element is enclosed for securing at the edge. The circumferential positive locking collar 19 is also particularly clearly visible in FIG. 10. As is apparent from FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, the sliding element 7 comprises positive locking ribs 17 running transverse to the longitudinal direction z. These positive locking ribs 17 are accommodated in complementary grooves in the guide shoe housing 5. Furthermore, it can be seen that the sliding element 7 has a lead-in area 21 created by a chamfer or rounding, which offers advantages with regard to travel comfort and possible lubrication. Furthermore, FIG. 9 shows the sliding surfaces 22 associated with the sliding element 7, which, when the sliding guide shoe 3 is installed in the elevator and ready for use, slide along the guide rail with little play during car travel. The sliding surfaces 22 are obviously flat. In the corner regions between the sliding surfaces 22, which are perpendicular to each other, the sliding element 7 has undercuts 23 extending in the longitudinal direction z.

[0069] FIG. 11 shows a three-component sliding guide shoe 3, thus a sliding guide shoe 3 comprising guide shoe housing 5, sliding element 7 and damping element 6 arranged therebetween. The sliding element 7 is configured similarly to the sliding element according to the previous exemplary embodiment. However, in this case, the sliding element 7 is positively connected to the damping element 6. The damping element 6 is positively connected to the guide shoe housing 5. For this purpose, the damping element 6 has a comparatively wide circumferential positive locking collar 26 which is accommodated in a complementary positive locking groove in the guide shoe housing 5. Likewise, ribs 25 are molded onto the damping element 6 as further positive locking means.

[0070] 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.