BRAKE DEVICE

Abstract

A brake device for a traveling body of an elevator installation brakes on a rail having first and second braking profiles. The brake device includes a forcing element and a counter-support. The forcing element has first and second forcing working faces for acting on the first and second profiles respectively. The counter-support has a first counter-support working face for acting on the first profile, and a second counter-support working face for acting on the second profile. The first forcing working face and the first counter-support working face are arranged opposite one another at the first profile and the second forcing working face and the second counter-support working face are arranged opposite one another at the second profile. The forcing element is spread to bring the first forcing working face into contact with the first profile and the second forcing working face into contact with the second profile.

Claims

1-12. (canceled)

13. A brake device for braking a traveling body of an elevator installation on a rail, the rail having having a first braking profile and a second braking profile, the brake device comprising: a forcing element having a first forcing working face adapted to act on the first braking profile and a second forcing working face adapted to act on the second braking profile; a counter-support having a first counter-support working face adapted to act on the first braking profile and a second counter-support working face adapted to act on the second braking profile; wherein the first forcing working face and the first counter-support working face are arranged opposite one another at the first braking profile and the second forcing working face and the second counter-support working face are arranged opposite one another at the second braking profile; and wherein the forcing element is adapted to be spread to bring the first forcing working face into contact with the first braking profile and the second forcing working face into contact with the second braking profile.

14. The brake device according to claim 13 wherein at least one of the first and second braking profiles is configured as a plate with a constant plate thickness.

15. The brake device according to claim 13 wherein the first forcing working face and the second forcing working face have opposite surface normals and the first counter-support working face and the second counter-support working face have opposite surface normals.

16. The brake device according to claim 13 wherein the first forcing working face and the second forcing working face are arranged in an intermediate region between the first braking profile and the second braking profile, and the first counter-support working face and the second counter-support working face are each arranged on a side of the first braking profile and the second braking profile respectively that faces away from the intermediate region.

17. The brake device according to claim 13 including an actuator that applies an advancing motion against the forcing element to bring the forcing element into contact with the first and second braking profiles.

18. The brake device according to claim 17 wherein the actuator is activated by an electrical or electronic signal.

19. The brake device according to claim 13 wherein the forcing element includes at least one braking element that is adapted to be brought into contact with the first braking profile or the second braking profile and is brought into a braking position by a travel motion of the brake device along the rail.

20. The brake device according to claim 13 wherein the forcing element includes a brake wedge or an eccentric adapted to be brought into contact with one of the first braking profile and the second braking profile, the forcing element being configured such that a motion of the brake device in a direction along the first and second braking profiles increases a contact pressure of the forcing element against the one of the first and second braking profiles.

21. The brake device according to claim 13 wherein the counter-support and the forcing element are connected directly to one another by a connecting element.

22. The brake device according to claim 21 wherein the connecting element allows a motion of the forcing element relative to the counter-support, the motion in a region of the first forcing working face and the second forcing working face being perpendicular to at least one of the first forcing working face, the second forcing working face, the first counter-support working face and the second counter-support working face.

23. A guiding system for a traveling body of an elevator installation, the guiding system adapted to guide the traveling body on two rails each having a first braking profile and a second braking profile, the guiding system including at least three guiding elements that guide the traveling body to maintain an alignment and a position of the traveling body relative to the rails, and at least one of the guiding elements being the brake device according to claim 13 wherein the first and second counter-support working faces of the brake device counter-support provide guiding surfaces contacting the rails.

24. An elevator installation including a brake device according to claim 13 and a rail with the first braking profile and the second braking profile, wherein the rail is formed from at least one sheet metal part.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0062] In the drawings:

[0063] FIG. 1 is a horizontal section through a first embodiment of the brake device.

[0064] FIG. 2 shows the same section as in FIG. 1 with the catch wedges in the braking position.

[0065] FIG. 3 is a side view of the first embodiment as in FIG. 1.

[0066] FIG. 4 shows a forcing element with an actuator.

[0067] FIG. 5 shows a brake device with eccentrics.

[0068] FIG. 6 shows brake device with a forcing element with only one wedge.

[0069] FIG. 7 shows a brake device not according to the invention having an external forcing element.

[0070] FIG. 8 is an isometric view of a designed solution.

[0071] FIG. 9 shows a guiding system with rail and brake device.

[0072] FIG. 10 is a representation of the intermediate region.

[0073] FIG. 11 is another representation of the intermediate region.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0074] FIG. 1 shows a horizontal section through a first embodiment of the brake device 2 as it is attached to a traveling body 1. The brake device 2 essentially comprises the counter-support 11 and the forcing element 9, which are connected to one another via the connecting element 43. The brake device is in engagement with a first braking profile 7 and a second braking profile 8, both of which are part of the rail 5. The rail 5 is a closed profile rolled from sheet metal. The braking profiles 6 (7, 8) have two layers and have a slightly larger bending radius 66 at their end. A closed profile has the advantage that it is more rigid than an open profile. The rail is fastened to a rail support 53 with screws. The rail support 53 can, among other things, be a metal profile or a shaft wall.

[0075] The first forcing working face 13 and the first counter-support working face 17 are arranged in such a way that the first braking profile 7 runs between them. The second forcing working face 15 and the second counter-support working face 19 are arranged in such a way that the second braking profile 8 runs between them. The forcing element is configured in such a way that it can spread in order to bring the brake device, starting from the rest position, into contact with the braking profile. Spreading brings the braking elements 31, i.e., the brake wedges 37, closer to the braking profiles 6. The brake wedges 37 perform a linear motion with a main motion component in the direction of travel. The motion component in the direction of the braking profile 6 serves to build up a normal force on the working faces 13, 15, 17 and 19.

[0076] The forcing element 9 is located in the intermediate region between the two braking profiles 6. An explanatory illustration of the intermediate region can be found in FIGS. 10 and 11.

[0077] The connecting element 43 is configured to be slightly elastic, so that the forcing element 9 can move easily between the braking profiles 6. The elastic restoring force of the connecting element 43 keeps the forcing working faces 13 and 15 at a distance from the braking profiles 6. The normal forces on the four working faces have essentially the same amounts due to the chosen arrangement.

[0078] FIG. 2 shows a view of the first embodiment as in FIG. 1 in an operating state in which the brake device 2 is braking. The braking elements 31, that is to say the brake wedges 37, are shifted into the braking position. The brake wedges 37 are displaced by the frictional force on the braking profiles 6 in such a way that the first forcing working face 13 and the second forcing working face 15 are pressed against the braking profiles 6. The rail 5 is elastically and reversibly deformed. The braking profiles 6 are resilient and displaced up to the first counter-support working face 17 and the second counter-support working face 19. This shift is accompanied by a slight deformation of the rail 5. Large normal forces act on the braking profiles 6 clamped between the brake wedges 37 and the counter-support 11. These normal forces cause large frictional forces. The normal force is limited in that the displacement of the brake wedges is limited, and in that the counter-support is adapted to be elastic in such a way that the braking force is limited in the range of a setpoint value when the forcing element 9 is maximally spread. A set of springs as shown in FIG. 7 can also be used to limit the braking force.

[0079] FIG. 3 shows a side view of the first embodiment as from FIG. 1. The braking elements 31 in the form of brake wedges 37 are guided along a core element of the forcing element 9.

[0080] The first embodiment is suitable to be used as a guiding element in a guiding system. There is an initial play S1 between the first counter-support working face 17 and the first braking profile 7. There is a second play S2 between the second counter-support working face 19 and the second braking profile 8. During driving of the traveling body, the two plays S1 and S2 will adapt to the loads on the guiding element. Typically, one of the two plays is canceled by touch. The other play is correspondingly larger. A guiding force can be transferred via touch. As a result, the traveling body for the brake device 2 is guided securely against displacements perpendicular to the working faces 13, 15, 17 and/or 19. A displacement of the brake device 2 toward the rail is prevented by the fact that the braking profiles 6 with the enlarged bending radius 66 are in contact with the counter-support 11. Alternatively, it would also be conceivable that the forcing element 9 has a sliding coating on the surface opposite the connecting element 43.

[0081] FIG. 4 shows a forcing element 9 with an actuator 29 as it is used in a brake device 2 in FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and, however, only for a brake wedge 37, also in FIG. 6. In order to be able to spread the first forcing working face 13 on the first brake wedge 37 and the second forcing working face 15 on the second brake wedge 37 away from one another within the context of an advancing motion 30, the brake wedges are connected to a tension plate 401. The tension plate 401 is connected via a tension rod 402 to an energy store 55 in the form of a spring. An electromagnet 292 is able to draw in a ratchet lever 293. If an electrical or electronic signal 41 from outside, in particular the drop in a supply voltage, leads to the electromagnet being switched off and the electromagnet losing its holding ability as a result, a pawl 294 is released from a retaining lug 295 on the pull rod 402. As a result, the braking elements 31, or more precisely the brake wedges 37, are now moved upward and spread apart from one another in the process. An auxiliary spring 291, which is used to reliably detach the ratchet lever 293 from the electromagnet 292, also serves to reliably trigger the pawl 294. By skillful configuration of the contact surface between the retaining lug 295 and the pawl 294, the auxiliary spring 291 can be dispensed with in an alternative embodiment.

[0082] Because the traveling body moves in the direction of travel 33, the frictional force between the brake wedges 37 and the braking profiles 6 helps to drive the brake wedges 37 further upward as soon as the brake wedges 37 contact the braking profiles 6.

[0083] FIG. 5 shows a forcing element 9 with braking elements 31, which are configured as eccentrics 39. The mode of operation of such an embodiment is analogous to FIGS. 1 to 4. The advancing motion of the eccentric 39, in contrast to the advancing motion of the brake wedge 37, is based on a rotary motion of the eccentric 39.

[0084] FIG. 6 shows a brake device 2 which has a forcing element 9 that has only a braking element 31, in this case in the form of a brake wedge 37. The first forcing working face 13 is configured directly against the forcing element 9. A very thin connecting element 43 is also shown. The rail 5 and the counter-support 11 with the two counter-support working faces 17 and 19 are essentially configured in the same way, as in the previous figures, each comprising two braking elements 31. When this brake device is engaged, the first forcing working face 13 is already rubbing against the first braking profile 7, while the second forcing working face 15 adheres to the second braking profile 8 and is thereby entrained, leading to an increase in the normal force and thus the braking force on the first forcing working face 13. The second forcing working face 15 is not yet producing any substantial braking forces, because the braking element 31 is guided against the forcing element 9 essentially without friction. Only when the braking element 31 hits a stop on the forcing element 9 will the braking force generated on the second forcing working face 15 also make a significant contribution to the braking force.

[0085] FIG. 7 shows a brake device 2 with an outer forcing element 9. The forcing element 9, which has a distance a between the first forcing working face 13 and the second forcing working face 15, can be narrowed. The narrowing of the forcing element, that is to say a reduction in the distance a between the two forcing working faces 13 and 15, brings the two forcing working faces 13 and 15 into contact with the braking profiles 6. The brake device 2 comprises a brake wedge 37 and a spring assembly 71, both of which are attached to the forcing element 9. As a result, the counter-support can have a very simple configuration. In contrast to the previous embodiments, the counter-support 11 is now in the intermediate region between the first braking profile 7 and the second braking profile 8. The connecting element 43 allows a relative displacement of the counter-support 11 relative to the forcing element 9. The two counter-support working faces 17 and 19 can therefore each rest against the braking profiles 6 and can transmit the pressure forces between the counter-support working faces 17 and 19 without exerting great forces on the connecting element 43.

[0086] The rail 5 is formed from sheet metal and configured asymmetrically. The open profile allows production with just a few work steps.

[0087] The concepts of FIG. 7 can also be combined with the concepts from the preceding figures. In particular, it is possible for the forcing element 9 to have braking elements 31 on both sides. In such a case, it is advantageous to make the counter-support 11 somewhat flexible in order to obtain a defined braking force. For example, the counter-support could have a spring assembly 71. The braking elements 31 can be configured as brake wedges 37 or eccentrics, even as a single eccentric. Instead of the open braking profile 5, a closed braking profile 5 can also be used.

[0088] FIG. 8 shows an isometric view of a designed solution. The forcing element 9 is located in the intermediate region between the braking profiles (not shown).

[0089] The actuator, of which the energy store 55 is visible, is located in the interior of the counter-support 11. The braking elements 31 are configured as brake wedges 37, the first forcing element working face 13 and the second forcing element working face 15 each being located on a brake wedge 37. The counter-support 11 has the first counter-support working face 17 and the second counter-support working face 19. The counter-support working faces 17 and 19 are configured as sliding linings in order to serve as guidance for the traveling body.

[0090] FIG. 9 shows a guiding system 47 of an elevator installation 3 with a rail 5 and a brake device 2. The rail 5 comprises two braking profiles 6 in each case. The rail 5 serves as a guide for the traveling body 1, so that it can move along the rail 5 in the direction of the traveling motion 33. In addition to the two brake devices 2 at the bottom of the car, the traveling body 1 is also guided via two further guiding elements 51.

[0091] The guiding elements 51 and the brake devices 2 guide the traveling body 1 via contact with the respective outer surfaces of the braking profiles 6.

[0092] FIGS. 10 and 11 show detailed definitions of the intermediate region 25. The intermediate region 25 is to be understood as the space that is spanned by those planes that are spanned by the respective inner surface of the first braking profile 7 and the second braking profile 8.

[0093] Finally, it should be noted that terms such as “comprising,” “having,” etc. do not preclude other elements or steps, and terms such as “a” or “an” do not preclude a plurality. Furthermore, it should be noted that features or steps which have been described with reference to one of the above embodiments may also be used in combination with other features or steps of other embodiments described above.

[0094] 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.