ELEVATOR SYSTEM

Abstract

A lift system may include at least two cars that can be moved in a lift shaft, at least two drives each of which is configured to drive one of the cars for movement within the lift shaft, and a frame device. The at least two cars may be positioned within the frame device that is movable in the lift shaft. The at least two cars can be moved relative to one another within the frame device by way of their respective drives.

Claims

1-15. (canceled)

16. A lift system comprising: at least two cars that are movable in a lift shaft; at least two drives, each drive being configured to drive one of the at least two cars for movement within the lift shaft; and a frame device that is movable in the lift shaft, wherein the at least two cars are positioned within the frame device, wherein the at least two cars are movable relative to one another within the frame device by way of the at least two drives.

17. The lift system of claim 16 further comprising a suspension means for each of the at least two cars, wherein the suspension means are guided along the frame device.

18. The lift system of claim 17 wherein the suspension means are combined in a substantially-centered manner in an upper region of the lift shaft.

19. The lift system of claim 16 further comprising car guide elements disposed between the frame device and the at least two cars, wherein the at least two cars are movable relative to one another within the frame device along the car guide elements.

20. The lift system of claim 16 further comprising at least two counterweights, wherein each of the at least two cars is connected respectively to one of the at least two counterweights.

21. The lift system of claim 20 wherein the at least two counterweights comprise a first counterweight and a second counterweight, wherein the second counterweight is disposed within the first counterweight, where the second counterweight is movable within the first counterweight.

22. The lift system of claim 21 wherein the second counterweight is movable within the first counterweight along internal counterweight guide elements that are disposed between the first and second counterweights.

23. The lift system of claim 21 wherein the first and second counterweights are movable jointly within the lift shaft along external counterweight guide elements disposed within the lift shaft.

24. The lift system of claim 16 wherein at least one of the at least two cars is removable from the frame device.

25. The lift system of claim 24 further comprising a fixing element that is configured to fix the suspension means to the lift shaft.

26. The lift system of claim 16 further comprising a passive buffer element disposed between the at least two cars within the frame device.

27. The lift system of claim 16 wherein the frame device is configured as a lift cage frame of one of the at least two cars.

28. A method for operating a lift system including a first car and a second car that are movable within a lift shaft, the method comprising: arranging the first and second cars within a frame device that is movable in the lift shaft; and driving the first and second cars relative to one another within the frame device by way of a first drive corresponding to the first car and a second drive corresponding to the second car.

29. The method of claim 28 further comprising: removing at least one of the first or second cars from the frame device; and securing suspension means assigned to a car or cars that are removed to the lift shaft.

30. A lift system comprising: a first car that is movable in a lift shaft; a second car that is movable in the lift shaft; a first drive configured to drive the first car for movement within the lift shaft; a second drive configured to drive the second car for movement within the lift shaft, wherein the first and second cars are movable relative to one another; and a frame device that is movable in the lift shaft, wherein the first car is secured to the frame device and the second car is positionable within the frame device.

31. The lift system of claim 30 further comprising a first suspension for the first car and a second suspension for the second car, with at least one of the first or second suspensions being guided along the frame device.

32. The lift system of claim 31 wherein the first and second suspensions are combined in a substantially-centered manner in an upper region of the lift shaft.

33. The lift system of claim 30 further comprising car guide elements disposed between the frame device and the first and second cars, wherein the first and second cars are movable relative to one another within the frame device along the car guide elements.

34. The lift system of claim 30 further comprising a first counterweight that is connected to the first car and a second counterweight that is connected to the second car.

35. The lift system of claim 34 wherein the second counterweight is movable within the first counterweight along internal counterweight guide elements that are disposed between the first and second counterweights.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURE

[0044] FIG. 1 shows one preferred refinement of a lift system according to the invention in a diagrammatically simplified illustration.

[0045] FIG. 1 diagrammatically shows one preferred refinement of a lift system according to the invention and denotes it with 100. The lift system 100 is set up to carry out one preferred embodiment of a method according to the invention.

[0046] The lift system 100 has a first car 110 and a second car 120 which can be moved in a common lift shaft 101. For the sake of clarity, the common lift shaft 101 is shown merely diagrammatically. The lift system 100 can also have a different appropriate number of cars, for example three, four, five or more.

[0047] The first car 110 and the second car 120 are arranged within a frame device 200. In this example, the frame device 200 is configured as a lift cage frame 200 of the first car 110. The first car 110 is therefore connected rigidly to the lift cage frame 200.

[0048] A suspension means mounting 111 is arranged in an upper region 205, in particular in a roof element of the frame device 200. A first suspension means 112 is attached or fastened to the said suspension means mounting 111. The first suspension means 112 is configured, for example, as a suspension cable or as a suspension belt. Here, the suspension means mounting 111 is arranged in a centered manner in the upper region 205 of the frame device 200, and the first suspension means 112 therefore acts in a centered manner on the frame device 200.

[0049] The first car 110 is driven by means of an appropriate first drive, for example by means of a first traction sheave drive 113. The first traction sheave drive 113 is connected via the first suspension means 112 to the frame device 200 and therefore to the first car 110.

[0050] Furthermore, the first car 110 is connected via the first suspension means 112 and the first traction sheave drive 113 to a first counterweight 301.

[0051] The second car 120 is driven by means of a second drive, for example by means of a second traction sheave drive 123. The second car 120 is connected via a second suspension means 122 to the second traction sheave drive 123. The second suspension means 122 is, for example, likewise configured as a suspension cable or as a suspension belt.

[0052] A roller arrangement comprising a plurality of guide rollers 121a is arranged in an upper region 105 of the lift shaft 101, in particular at a shaft top of the lift shaft 101. By means of the said guide rollers 121a, the second suspension means 122 is combined in a substantially centered manner in the upper region 105 of the lift shaft 101.

[0053] Furthermore, the second suspension means 122 is guided along the frame device 200. In this example, the second suspension means 122 is guided within the frame device 200, but it is also conceivable that the second suspension means 122 is guided outside the frame device 200. The second suspension means 122 is deflected by means of the guide rollers 121a and is guided past the first car 110 to the second car 120 by means of an appropriate suspension means guide. The suspension means guide comprises, in particular, quasi-static rollers 121b which are arranged on the second car.

[0054] The frame device 200 serves as a guide for the second suspension means 122. The second suspension means 122 therefore cannot strike the first car 110 and cannot have suspension means oscillations or suspension means movements imparted to it.

[0055] Furthermore, the second car 120 is connected via the second suspension means 122 and the second traction sheave drive 123 to a second counterweight 302.

[0056] FIG. 1 shows a 1:1 suspension of a first lift car 110 and a first counterweight 301 and of a second lift car 120 and a second counterweight 302, but a 2:1 suspension is also conceivable in each case.

[0057] Each of the two traction sheave drives 113 and 123 is set up to drive in each case one of the cars 110 and 120. The traction sheave drives 113 and 123 specifically and the lift system 100 generally are actuated by a control unit 400 which is shown merely diagrammatically in FIG. 1. The control unit 400 is set up to carry out one preferred embodiment of a method according to the invention.

[0058] By means of the traction sheave drives 113 and 123, the cars 110 and 120 can firstly be actuated jointly or as one unit. Here, both traction sheave drives 113 and 123 are actuated jointly by the control unit 400, in order that the cars 110 and 120 are moved synchronously in the lift shaft 101. Here, the cars 110 and 120 are moved together with the frame device 200 in the lift shaft 101.

[0059] For this purpose, a frame device guide 220 is arranged within the lift shaft 101. The said frame device guide 220 is configured as a sliding guide or roller guide and comprises guide rails 222 which are arranged, in particular, on a shaft wall 101a of the lift shaft 100, and guide rollers 221 which are arranged, in particular, on the frame device 200.

[0060] By means of the traction sheave drives 113 and 123, the cars 110 and 120 can secondly also be actuated independently from one another, in a manner which is limited by way of the frame device 200. The cars 110 and 120 can therefore be moved relative to one another within the frame device 200 by means of the traction sheave drives 113 and 123. Here, both traction sheave drives 113 and 123 are actuated by the control unit 400.

[0061] Here, in particular, the second car 120 is moved relative to the first car 110. For this purpose, car guide elements 230 are arranged within the frame device 200. The said car guide elements 230 are configured as a sliding guide or roller guide and comprise guide rails 232 which are arranged, in particular, on the frame device 200, and guide rollers 221 which are arranged, in particular, on the second car 120.

[0062] In an analogous manner to the car guide elements 230, internal counterweight guide elements 330 which comprise guide rollers 331 and guide rails 332 are arranged within the first counterweight 301. Here, the guide rails 332 are arranged, in particular, on an inner side of the first counterweight 301, and the guide rollers 331 are arranged on the second counterweight 302.

[0063] If the second car 120 is moved relative to the first car 110 within the frame device 200, the second counterweight 302 is therefore also moved relative to the first counterweight 301 within the first counterweight 301.

[0064] In an analogous manner to the frame device guide 220, external counterweight guide elements 320 which comprise guide rollers 321 and guide rails 322 are arranged within the lift shaft 101. The guide rails 322 are arranged, in particular, on the shaft wall 101a of the lift shaft 101, and the guide rollers 321 are arranged, in particular, on the first counterweight.

[0065] If the first car 110 and the second car 120 are moved together with the frame device 200 along the frame device guide 220 within the lift shaft 101, the counterweights 301 and 302 are also moved along the external counterweight guide elements 320 within the lift shaft 101.

[0066] At its lower end, the lift shaft 101 has an alternative stopping place 500 or a removal floor 500. The said removal floor 500 is shown merely by way of example in FIG. 1. According to one preferred refinement of the invention, the lower car 120 can be removed, dismantled from the frame device 200 and taken out of operation.

[0067] Here, the control unit 400 moves the cars 110 and 120 onto the removal floor 500. The frame device 200 is not closed within itself and has an opening 201 at its lower end. Through the said opening 201, the second car 120 is dismantled from the frame device 200 and removed on the removal floor 500.

[0068] By means of a fixing element 510, the second suspension means 122 is hooked in and is fixed to the shaft wall 101a of the lift shaft 101. The second suspension means 122 is therefore likewise dismantled from the frame device 200 and removed.

[0069] The first car 110 with the frame device 200 is then moved upwards again within the lift shaft 101. The second car 120 is stored on the removal floor 500.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

[0070] 100 Lift system [0071] 101 Lift shaft [0072] 101a Shaft wall [0073] 105 Upper region of the lift shaft, shaft top [0074] 110 First car [0075] 111 Suspension means mounting [0076] 112 First suspension means [0077] 113 First traction sheave drive [0078] 120 Second car [0079] 121a Guide rollers [0080] 121b Quasi-static rollers [0081] 122 Second suspension means [0082] 123 Second traction sheave drive [0083] 200 Frame device, lift cage frame [0084] 201 Opening [0085] 205 Upper region of the frame device [0086] 220 Frame device guide [0087] 221 Guide rollers [0088] 222 Guide rails [0089] 230 Car guide elements [0090] 231 Guide rollers [0091] 232 Guide rails [0092] 301 First counterweight [0093] 302 Second counterweight [0094] 320 External counterweight guide elements [0095] 321 Guide rollers [0096] 322 Guide rails [0097] 330 Internal counterweight guide elements [0098] 331 Guide rollers [0099] 332 Guide rails [0100] 400 Control unit [0101] 500 Removal floor, alternative stopping place [0102] 510 Fixing element