APPARATUS FOR ELEVATOR DRIVE ASSEMBLY

Abstract

An apparatus (10) for connecting a drive assembly (4) to a bedplate (2) of an elevator system. The apparatus (10) includes a first support (14) for mounting a motor (6) of the drive assembly (4) to the bedplate (2). The apparatus (10) further includes a second support (16) for mounting a brake unit (8) of the drive assembly (4) to the bedplate (2). The first support (14) and the second support (16) are separate parts.

Claims

1. An apparatus (10) for connecting a drive assembly (4) to a bedplate (2) of an elevator system, the apparatus (10) comprising: a first support (14) for mounting a motor (6) of the drive assembly (4) to the bedplate (2); and a second support (16) for mounting a brake unit (8) of the drive assembly (4) to the bedplate (2); wherein the first support (14) and the second support (16) are separate parts.

2. An apparatus (10) as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an intermediate connecting part (20); wherein at least one of the first support (14) and the second support (16) is connected to the bedplate (2) via the intermediate connecting part (20).

3. An apparatus (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first support (14) is formed from sheet metal; and/or wherein the second support (16) is formed from sheet metal; and/or wherein the intermediate connecting part (20) is formed from sheet metal.

4. An apparatus (10) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the intermediate connecting part (20) extends along at least part of a side of the bedplate (2).

5. An apparatus (10) as claimed in claim 2, wherein the intermediate connecting part (20) extends along at least part of a bottom surface of the bedplate (2).

6. An apparatus (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the drive assembly (4) further comprises a drive shaft (34) connected between the motor (6) and the brake unit (8); and the apparatus (10) further comprises at least one bearing stand (22a, 22b) configured to support a drive shaft (34) of the drive assembly (4).

7. An apparatus (10) as claimed in claim 6, wherein at least one bearing stand (22a, 22b) is formed integrally with the first support (14); and/or wherein at least one bearing stand (22a, 22b) is formed integrally with the second support (16).

8. An apparatus (10) as claimed in claim 6, further comprising at least one bearing stand support (24a, 24b); wherein each bearing stand support (24a, 24b) is configured to support at least one bearing stand (22a, 22b) and to connect at least one bearing stand (22a, 22b) to the bedplate (2).

9. An apparatus (10) as claimed in claim 8, wherein the at least one bearing stand support (24a, 24b) is formed from sheet metal.

10. An apparatus (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the drive assembly (4) further comprises a drive shaft (34) connected between the motor (6) and the brake unit (8); at least one drive sheave (28) mounted on the drive shaft (34); and at least one tension member wrapped at least partially around the at least one drive sheave (28); wherein the apparatus (10) further comprises a retainer (26) configured to retain the at least one tension member on the at least one drive sheave (28).

11. An apparatus (10) as claimed in claim 10, wherein the retainer (26) comprises a substantially horizontal part (26b) situated above the drive sheave (28); and at least one substantially vertical part (26a) configured to connect the substantially horizontal part (26b) to the bedplate (2); wherein optionally the drive assembly (4) comprises a plurality of tension members; and wherein optionally the at least one substantially vertical part (26a) of the retainer (26) is configured to prevent the plurality of tension members from coming into contact with one another.

12. An apparatus (10) as claimed in claim 10, wherein the retainer (26) is formed from sheet metal.

13. An apparatus (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein a drive shaft (34) extends from a face of the motor (6); wherein the first support (14) is configured to substantially cover the face of the motor (6) from which the drive shaft (34) extends; and wherein the first support (14) comprises an aperture for the drive shaft (34).

14. An apparatus (10) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second support (16) is configured to substantially cover a face of the brake unit (8); and wherein the second support (16) comprises an aperture to receive a drive shaft (34).

15. A method of connecting a drive assembly (4) to a bedplate (2) of an elevator system, comprising: mounting a motor (6) of the drive assembly (4) to a first support (14); and mounting a brake unit (8) of the drive assembly (4) to a second support (16); wherein the first support (14) and the second support (16) are separate parts.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0051] Certain examples of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0052] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a prior art bedplate and drive assembly;

[0053] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a prior art drive assembly;

[0054] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a prior art bedplate;

[0055] FIGS. 4-8 are cross-sectional views of bedplate and drive assemblies in accordance with examples of the present disclosure; and

[0056] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a bedplate and drive assembly in accordance with an example of the present disclosure; and

[0057] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a bedplate and drive assembly according to an example of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0058] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a prior art bedplate 2 and drive assembly 4. The bedplate 2 is provided at the top of an elevator shaft attached to the top of two guide rails. The bedplate 2 is provided at least in part to support the drive assembly 4.

[0059] In this example, the drive assembly comprises a motor 6, a brake 8 and apparatus 10 which is configured to connect the motor 6, the brake 8 and the bedplate 2. The apparatus 10 is also configured to provide rigidity to the drive assembly 4, which may help to reduce relative movement of the motor 6 and brake 8.

[0060] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a drive assembly 4 of FIG. 1. The apparatus 10 extends in a single piece from the motor 6 to the brake 8. The apparatus 10 is formed from cast iron, which is used at least in part due to its ability to be cast into a shape that fits to the motor 6 and brake 8 as well as accommodating bearings 11 at each end of the drive shaft 34. However, an apparatus 10 formed of cast iron is heavy, meaning that the bedplate 2 requires reinforcement means in order to support the weight of the apparatus 10. In addition, the apparatus 10 is specific to a particular installation. For example, for an elevator system with a longer drive shaft (e.g. to accommodate more tension members), the motor 6 and brake 8 need to be positioned further apart. A different cast iron case 10 needs to be created for each such installation. This is expensive and inconvenient.

[0061] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a prior art bedplate 2. In this example, the bedplate 2 includes a number of reinforcement means 12 which help to strengthen the bedplate 2 to support the weight of the drive assembly 4, as well as the forces involved in lifting and lowering the elevator car and counterweight (not shown). This bedplate 2 is thus formed from several component parts. The reinforcement means 12 may be located inside or outside of the bedplate 2 or both. The large number of component parts increases the cost and complexity of installation and maintenance of the bedplate 2.

[0062] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a bedplate 2 and drive assembly 4 according to an example of the present disclosure. In this example, the drive assembly 4 comprises a motor 6, a brake 8 and an apparatus 10 which is configured to connect the motor 6, the brake 8 and the bedplate 2.

[0063] In this example of the present disclosure, the apparatus 10 is formed from a plurality of connected parts. In this example, the apparatus includes a first support 14 and a second support 16. The first support 14 is connected to the motor 6 and the second support 16 is connected to the brake 8. These components may be connected in any suitable way, for example by an adhesive, welding, or apparatus such as bolts 18a, 18b. The first support 14 and second support 16 are configured to provide rigidity to the drive assembly 4, which may help to reduce relative movement of the motor 6 and brake 8.

[0064] In this example, the apparatus 10 further includes an intermediate connecting part 20 which is configured to provide a connection between the first support 14, the second support 16 and the bedplate 2. Thus the motor 6 is mounted to the first support 14 which is mounted to the intermediate connecting part 20 which is mounted to the bedplate 2. Likewise, the brake 8 is mounted to the second support 16 which is mounted to the intermediate connecting part 20 which is mounted to the bedplate 2. In this way the motor 6 and the brake 8 are mounted indirectly to the bedplate 2.

[0065] It will be appreciated that in other examples, the first support 14 may be mounted directly to the bedplate 2 without an intermediate connecting part 20. Similarly, it will be appreciated that the second support 16 may be mounted directly to the bedplate 2 without an intermediate connecting part 20.

[0066] In other examples, either the first support 14 or the second support 16 may be formed integrally with the bedplate 2. The other of the first support 14 and the second support 16 is formed as a separate component and may be mounted directly to the bedplate 2 or may be mounted to the bedplate 2 indirectly via an intermediate connecting part 20.

[0067] In all of these examples, the fact that the motor 6 and brake 8 are mounted to separate supports 14, 16 means that the supports 14, 16 can be simplified and can be formed inexpensively, e.g. from sheet metal. The same first support 14 and second support 16 can be used in multiple installations, even where the distance between them needs to be varied for different installations. For example, where the first support 14 and second support 16 are mounted directly to the bedplate 2, there is no need for any component of the apparatus 10 to be specific to the installation. Where an intermediate connecting part 20 is used, there may be one intermediate connecting part provided for each of the first support 14 and the second support 16 (in which case, again these need not be specific to the installation) or there may be a single common intermediate connecting part 20 that needs to be specific to the installation, but which is much simpler in construction and design and can therefore be made much more simply and inexpensively than the former cast iron structure.

[0068] In some examples, the intermediate connecting part 20 and/or the first support 14 and/or the second support 16 may extend down the side of the bedplate 2, and in some examples may wrap around the bottom of the bedplate 2. This provides reinforcement to the bedplate 2 to help prevent bending of the bedplate 2 along its longitudinal axis. As these parts provide a dual function of mounting the motor 6 and brake 8 as well as reinforcing the bedplate 2, fewer components are required overall. This is because separate reinforcement structures for the bedplate (such as the reinforcement structures 12 shown in FIG. 3) are no longer required. Thus cost and weight and complexity overall can be reduced.

[0069] In this example (FIG. 4), the apparatus 10 further includes bearing stands 22a, 22b. The bearing stands 22a, 22b are configured to support each end of the drive shaft 34, e.g. by holding it in the correct position.

[0070] In this example, the apparatus 10 further includes two bearing stand supports 24a, 24b which raise the bearing stands 22a, 22b to the correct height and connect them to the intermediate connecting part 20. In some examples, the bearing stand supports 24a, 24b may connect the bearing stands 22a, 22b directly to the bedplate 2 instead.

[0071] In this example, the apparatus 10 further includes a retainer 26 which comprises a vertical portion 26a and a horizontal portion 26b. The retainer 26 is configured to keep the drive belts (not shown) in place over the drive sheave 28. This may be particularly advantageous in examples where there are a plurality of drive belts, as the retainer 26 may help to prevent the drive belts moving out of place and coming into contact with one another.

[0072] The apparatus 10 is formed primarily from sheet metal parts, which means that the apparatus 10 is significantly lighter than if it were made from cast iron. This reduced weight means that the bedplate 2 requires less (or even no) reinforcement, e.g. a reduced need for reinforcement means 12 such as those shown in FIG. 3. This reduces the number of parts in the bedplate 2, which in turn reduces the cost and complexity of manufacturing and installing the bedplate 2.

[0073] Furthermore, by forming the apparatus 10 from a combination of different parts rather than one single piece, the apparatus 10 may be readily adapted to different configurations. In particular, each component of the apparatus 10 may be modified to be suitable for a specific elevator system independently of the other components of the apparatus 10. Examples of some modifications are given in the following embodiments.

[0074] In some examples, the apparatus 10 may be formed from sheet metal at least in part in order to enable such modifications to be made. Sheet metal is easy to cut, meaning that changes to the shape and size of the components of the intermediate connecting part 10 can be made easily and at low cost. In some examples, these modifications could be made at the time of installation.

[0075] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a bedplate 2 and drive assembly 4 according to an example of the present disclosure. In this example there is a greater distance between the motor 6 and the brake 8 than in FIG. 4. It will be appreciated that the distance between the motor 6 and the brake 8 may vary for a variety of reasons (e.g. constraints of the system such as the shape and size of the elevator shaft, and/or the number and/or dimensions of the drive belts).

[0076] It can be seen that many of the components of the apparatus 10 are substantially identical to those in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4. These include: the first support 14; the second support 16; the bearing stands 22a, 22b; the bearing stand supports 24a, 24b; the vertical portion 26a of the retainer; and the bolts 18a, 18b. Therefore, in the examples of FIGS. 4 and 5, a number of the components used may be standardised between different embodiments of the disclosure.

[0077] In this example, the drive sheave 28 is longer than in the example of FIG. 4, in order to extend over the greater distance between the motor 6 and the brake 8. In this example, the drive sheave 28 includes a central portion which has a larger radius than the rest of the drive sheave 28. A drive belt (not shown) hangs from each of the smaller radius portions of the drive sheave 28. The larger radius central portion of the drive sheave 28 is configured to help separate the two drive belts and prevent them from coming into contact with one another.

[0078] In this example, the intermediate connecting part 20 and the horizontal portion 26b of the retainer are longer than those of the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 in order to accommodate the longer drive sheave 28. In some embodiments, the intermediate connecting part 20 and the horizontal portion 26b of the retainer shown in FIG. 5 may be cut (e.g. during installation) in order to accommodate the short drive sheave 28 of FIG. 4. This demonstrates one way that the intermediate connecting part 10 may be modified such that it is suitable for use in a particular embodiment of an elevator system.

[0079] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a bedplate 2 and drive assembly 4 according to an example of the present disclosure. In this example, the motor 6 and brake 8 are shorter than in the embodiments of FIGS. 4 and 5. A drive assembly 4 with reduced height may be used due to constraints in the elevator system such as a small overhead (i.e. a small vertical space available above the bedplate 2 at the top of the elevator shaft).

[0080] In this example, the first support 14 and the second support 16 are shorter than in the previous examples, in order to accommodate the shorter motor 6 and brake 8. In some examples, the first support 14 and second support 16 shown in the examples of FIGS. 4 and 5 may be cut down in order to be used in the example of FIG. 6.

[0081] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a bedplate 2 and drive assembly 4 according to an example of the present disclosure. In this example, the first support 14 and one of the bearing stand supports 24a are formed as a single integrated part (also referred to as a motor flange 30). The motor flange 30 is configured to support the motor 6 and has bearings 25a, mounted directly in it. Therefore, in this example there is no bearing stand or bearing stand support adjacent the motor 6 as the motor flange 30 performs this function.

[0082] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a bedplate 2 and drive assembly 4 according to another example of the present disclosure. In this example, the drive sheave 28 is longer. However, in a similar manner to FIGS. 4 and 5, this example demonstrates that a number of components of the apparatus 10 are substantially identical to those in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7.

[0083] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a bedplate 2 and drive assembly 4 in accordance with an example of the present disclosure. In this example, the first support 14 is a motor flange 30 which is formed as a single piece with an integrated bearing stand 22a. In some examples, the motor flange 30 may be formed of cast iron. The second support 16 is formed from sheet metal bent into a squared c-shape with a large flat face substantially matching the size of the brake 8 and with sides bent at ninety degrees to the large flat face for added rigidity.

[0084] In this example no retainer is shown, but that is simply for clarity. The drive belts 32a, 32b can be seen wrapped around the drive sheave 28. Although two drive belts 32a, 32b are shown in this example, it will be appreciated that the drive assembly 4 may comprise any number of drive belts or other tension members such as ropes or cables.

[0085] In this example, the intermediate connecting part 20 is formed from four c-shaped parts 20a-d. Parts 20a and 20c are substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the bedplate 2, and parts 20b and 20d are substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the bedplate 2. Parts 20a and 20c wrap around an outside surface of parts 20b and 20d, such that the intermediate connecting part 20 is a quadrilateral with an open space in the centre. This open space may be configured to allow the drive belts 32a, 32b to extend downwards into the elevator shaft. The intermediate part 20 is thus formed from four simple folded sheet metal parts that are light weight, inexpensive to manufacture and easy to adjust for different sized installations.

[0086] In this example, the intermediate connecting part 20 is mounted on the top of the bedplate 2 and mounted thereto by fasteners (not shown). Parts 20a-d are connected together by fasteners. The first support (i.e. the motor flange 30) and the second support 16 are also connected to the intermediate connecting part 20 by fasteners.

[0087] It can be seen that in this example, the bedplate 2 does not require any reinforcement means. The bedplate 2 is formed from two c-shaped beams placed back-to-back thereby forming the equivalent of an I-beam. Each of these c-beams is a folded sheet metal part and is therefore simple, light weight and inexpensive. Therefore, by using an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the bedplate 2 is formed of fewer parts than the example shown in FIG. 3. This decreases the cost and complexity of manufacturing and installing the bedplate.

[0088] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a bedplate 2 and drive assembly 4 according to an example of the present disclosure. This example shows another possible configuration of the drive assembly 4 and the apparatus 10.

[0089] In this example, the motor 6 and brake unit 8 are directly adjacent to one another. The motor 6 is mounted on the first support 14 and the brake 8 is mounted to the second support 16. The first support 14 and second support 16 are connected to the bedplate 2. The motor 6 and brake 8 may also be directly connected to one another.

[0090] In this example, the drive sheave 28 extends from either side of the motor 6 and brake unit 8. The drive sheave 28a, 28b is supported by the bearing stands 22a, 22b, which are located on either side of the motor 6 and brake unit 8. The bearing stands 22a, 22b are connected to the bedplate 2.

[0091] This example illustrates that the apparatus 10 may be adapted to different configurations of drive assemblies 4. Although the configuration of the drive assembly 4 differs from the examples illustrated in FIGS. 4-9, the apparatus may still be used to provide support to the drive assembly 4 of this example.

[0092] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the disclosure has been illustrated by describing one or more specific aspects thereof, but is not limited to these aspects. Many variations and modifications are possible within the scope of the accompanying claims.