Elevator car and an elevator

Abstract

An elevator car includes a suspension device for supporting the elevator car in the elevator hoistway and a car box. A floor, vertical beam, and roof beam elements form a load-bearing frame structure of the car box. A plurality of planar elements of rectangular shape are fixed side-by-side to the frame structure and extend essentially from one edge side of the car box to another. The frame structure and/or said planar elements of said car box comprises one or more sandwich type beam and/or plate elements comprising a first skin and a second skin and one or more core elements. The core elements are formed from the first skin by cutting and bending or by punching through one or more core members from the cutting edge of the first skin towards the second skin and by joining the core members to the second skin of the beam and/or plate element.

Claims

1. An elevator car comprising a car box and a suspension device configured to support the car box in an elevator hoistway, the car box comprises: an interior for receiving and transporting freight and/or passengers, said interior is bounded by at least a floor, walls, a roof, and a door arrangement, a floor element, vertical beam elements, and roof beam elements, which said floor element, vertical beam, and roof beam elements are connected to each other such that they form a load-bearing frame structure of rectangular prism shape, a plurality of planar elements of rectangular shape on an inside of said load-bearing frame structure fixed side-by-side to said load-bearing frame structure and extending essentially from one edge side of the car box to another, from which plurality a uniform wall surface and/or roof surface of the car box is formed, wherein said load-bearing frame structure and/or said planar elements comprises one or more sandwich beams and/or plate elements comprising a first skin and a second skin and one or more core elements, wherein said one or more core elements are formed from said first skin by cutting and bending or by punching along cutting edges of said first skin towards said second skin, said cutting and bending or punching forming an opening in said first skin, and joining said first skin to said second skin by said one or more core members, wherein said first skin has edge surfaces, and wherein said one or more core elements is spaced apart from said edge surfaces.

2. The elevator car according to claim 1, wherein said first skin and said second skin are of a thickness of 0.5-5 mm, and a thickness of the core of the one or more sandwich beams is 10-100 mm.

3. The elevator car according to claim 2, wherein said first skin and said second skin are 0.7-3 mm thick.

4. The elevator car according to claim 2, wherein said first skin and said second skin are 1-2.5 mm thick.

5. The elevator car according to claim 2, wherein the thickness of the core of the one or more sandwich beams is 15-50 mm.

6. The elevator car according to claim 1, wherein each of the one or more core members is formed symmetrically or asymmetrically with respect to an opening of said first skin.

7. The elevator car according to claim 1, wherein at least one edge of said one or more core members is straight.

8. The elevator car according to claim 1, wherein at least one edge of the opening is straight.

9. The elevator car according to claim 1, wherein the first skin and/or the second skin is made of metallic material.

10. The elevator car according to claim 1, wherein the first skin and/or the second skin is made of non-metallic material.

11. The elevator car according to claim 1, wherein the first skin and/or the second skin is of fire retardant plywood coated with a material layer comprising a fire retardant laminate.

12. The elevator car according to claim 1, wherein the one or more core members is formed from said first skin are joined to said second skin by welding, spot welding, adhesive bonding, riveting or by press-formed joints.

13. The elevator car according to claim 1, wherein the one or more sandwich beams and/or plate elements, in combination with said first skin and said second skin, comprises one or more beam elements forming at least part of said first skin and comprising one or more core elements, and wherein said one or more core elements are formed from said first skin by cutting and bending or punching along cutting edges of said first skin through to said core members towards said second skin and by joining said core members to said one or more sandwich beams and/or plate elements.

14. The elevator car according to claim 1, wherein one of the one or more sandwich beams and/or plate elements comprises ventilation ducts and/or ventilation openings and/or communications cables and/or electricity cables.

15. The elevator car according to claim 1, wherein the first skin and/or the second skin is made of plastic or fiber reinforced laminated polymer composite material.

16. The elevator car according to claim 1, wherein an outer surface of said sandwich beam and/or plate elements forms a part of an outer surface of the car box and/or the inner surface of said sandwich beams and/or plate elements forms a part of the inner surface of the floor and wall and roof bounding the interior.

17. The elevator car according to claim 1, wherein said suspension device of the elevator car is separate from the car box.

18. The elevator car according to claim 1, wherein the elevator car is suspended by said suspension device above and below the car box of the elevator car.

19. An elevator, which comprises comprising: an elevator hoistway, and an elevator car arranged to move in the elevator hoistway, which elevator car is according to claim 1.

20. The elevator car according to claim 1, wherein the first skin and/or the second skin is make of stainless steel or aluminum.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

(1) The invention will now be described mainly in connection with its preferred embodiments, with reference to the attached drawings, wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 illustrates an elevator according to a preferred embodiment.

(3) FIG. 2 illustrates structure of the car box of an elevator according to a preferred embodiment.

(4) FIG. 3 illustrates a beam element according to one embodiment of the invention.

(5) FIG. 4a illustrates a cross-sectional view of a beam element according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

(6) FIG. 4b illustrates a top view of the beam element of FIG. 4a.

(7) FIG. 5 illustrates a plate element according to one embodiment of the invention.

(8) FIG. 6 illustrates a plate element where the core member are formed asymmetrically with respect to an opening of the skin of core elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(9) FIG. 1 presents an elevator according to the invention, which comprises an elevator car 1, a counterweight 2, and suspension means comprising roping 3, the ropes of which connect the aforementioned elevator car 1 and aforementioned counterweight 2 to each other. The elevator car 1 and the counterweight 2 are arranged to be moved by exerting a vertical force on at least the elevator car 1 or on the counterweight 2. For this purpose the elevator comprises means M, 4, 5 for exerting the aforementioned force on at least the elevator car 1 or on the counterweight 2. The suspension roping 3 comprises one or more ropes. As presented the elevator comprises rope pulleys 6 in the proximity of the top end of the path of movement of the elevator car 1, while supported on which rope pulley 6 the ropes of the suspension roping 3 supports the elevator car 1 and the counterweight 2. In the embodiment presented this is implemented with a 1:1 suspension, in which case the aforementioned ropes of the suspension roping 3 are fixed at their first end to the elevator car 1 and at their second end to the counterweight 2. The suspension ratio could, however, be another, e.g. 2:1, but a 1:1 suspension ratio is advantageous because making a large number of bendings is not advantageous owing to the space taken by the bendings. Preferably the rope pulleys 6 are non-driven rope pulleys, namely in this way forces in the longitudinal direction of the rope are not exerted via the outer surface on the ropes of the roping. In this way also the top parts of the elevator can be formed to be spacious. It is advantageous that the rope pulleys 6 are in the elevator hoistway S, in which case a separate machine room is not needed.

(10) In the solutions of FIG. 1, the traction roping 4 is connected to the elevator car and to the counterweight, more particularly suspended to hang from the elevator car 1 and from the counterweight 2, in which case the hoisting machine M can, via a traction sheave 5 and hoisting roping 4, exert either a downward pulling force on either of them whatsoever, depending on the desired direction of movement. It is not necessarily needed to connect the traction roping both to the elevator car 1 and to the counterweight 2.

(11) The elevator hoisting roping 3 can also be guided to pass over a driven rope pulley, i.e., the traction sheave, the traction sheave being rotated by the hoisting machine M located in this case in the proximity of the top end of the path of movement of the elevator car 1. As the hoisting machine rotates, the traction sheave at the same time moves the elevator car 1 and the counterweight 2 in the up direction and down direction, respectively, due to friction.

(12) FIG. 2 presents the frame structure 7 of the car box of an elevator car 1 according to one embodiment of the invention, which frame structure 7 comprises four elongated vertical beam elements 8 and two horizontal, parallel, first elongated roof beams 9 in connection with the roof and fixed to the vertical beam elements 8 and two horizontal, parallel, second elongated roof beams 10 at a distance from each other and essentially orthogonal to the roof beams 9, which adjacent roof beams 9 and 10 are fixed to each other, and an interior, which is bounded by a space bordered by at least a planar floor element 11 of rectangular shape and the vertical beam elements 8 and the roof beams 9 and 10.

(13) FIG. 3 presents one embodiment of a first skin s of a sandwich type beam element comprising several core elements c, which said core elements c are formed from said first skin s by cutting and bending or by punching through four core members c from the cutting edge of said first skin s towards said second skin s. The core elements c are formed by cutting and bending or by punching through four core members c symmetrically with respect to the opening o of said skin s. The edges of said core member c are straight and the edges of said openings o are straight.

(14) The vertical beam elements 8 of the frame structure 7 of the car box are sandwich type beam elements 8 of FIGS. 4a and 4b comprising a first skin s and a second skin s and several core elements c, which said core elements c are formed from said first skin s by cutting and bending or by punching through one or more core members c from the cutting edge of said first skin s towards said second skin s and by joining said core members c to said second skin s of said beam element 8. The second skin s preferably is a decorative surface integrated into the element. The first skin s of said beam elements 8 can also be as shown in FIG. 3. The vertical profile beam elements 8 have essentially the same continuous cross-sectional profile in the longitudinal direction of the beam. Cuttings and apertures are arranged in the vertical beam elements 8 for fixing means for fixing the wall elements 12a-12f to the vertical beam elements 8. The vertical beam elements 8 of the frame structure 7 of the car box are rigidly fixed with fixing means to the vertical side edges of a planar floor element 11 of rectangular shape at the bottom edge of a vertical beam elements 8 and to the horizontal first roof beams 9 at the top edge of a vertical beam elements 8.

(15) The rectangular, planar, wall elements 12a-12f presented in FIG. 1 comprise sandwich type plate elements comprising a first skin s and a second skin s and one or more core elements c, which said core elements c are formed from said first skin s by cutting and bending or by punching through one or more core members c from the cutting edge of said first skin s towards said second skin s and by joining said core members c to said second skin s of said plate element. The wall elements 12a-12f also comprise one or more of the following functional features: sound-damping cladding integrated into the element, a passenger user interface 13 integrated into the element, an elevator control unit 14 integrated into the element, one or more ventilation openings integrated into the element, communications cables and/or electricity cables, between a device of the elevator car and a control unit of the elevator car and/or an electricity source, integrated into the element, a mirror 15 integrated into the element, and/or a decorative surface integrated into the element for covering an open point on the wall surface.

(16) FIG. 1 presents the aforementioned wall elements 12a-12f shown in FIG. 5, which extend essentially from one side of the elevator car to the other and which are fixed with fixing means at least to the vertical beams 8. In the figure the wall elements 12a-12f are presented as distributed horizontally, i.e. the aforementioned wall elements are fixed to the frame structure 7 of the elevator car one on top of another in the vertical direction. The bottommost wall element is supported in a support element and the topmost wall element is additionally fixed with fixing means to a roof beam 9 and/or 10 of the frame of the elevator car. The wall elements can also be distributed vertically, in which case the aforementioned wall elements would extend essentially from a support element up to a roof beam 9 or 10 and the aforementioned wall elements could be fixed to the frame structure 7 of the elevator car one beside another in the horizontal direction, e.g. by fixing the wall elements with fixing means to the roof beams 9 or 10, to the vertical beams 8 and/or to a vertical stiffener.

(17) FIG. 5 presents a planar sandwich type plate element comprising a first skin s and a second skin s and several core elements c, which said core elements c are formed from said first skin s by cutting and bending or by punching through one or more core members c from the cutting edge of said first skin s towards said second skin s and by joining said core members c to said second skin s of said plate element. The bendings of said core elements c are round.

(18) FIG. 6 illustrates core elements c formed by cutting and bending or by punching through one or more, most preferably four core members c asymmetrically with respect to the opening o of first skin s.

(19) The floor element 11 in FIG. 1 is a planar sandwich structure of rectangular shape, which comprises sandwich type plate element comprising a first skin s and a second skin s and several core elements c, which said core elements c are formed from said first skin s by cutting and bending or by punching through one or more core members c from the cutting edge of said first skin s towards said second skin s and by joining said core members c to said second skin s of said plate element by welding, spot welding, adhesive bonding, riveting or by press-formed joints.

(20) The invention is based on the concept that the elevator car comprises suspension means for supporting the elevator car in the elevator hoistway and a car box to be assembled according to site regulations and customer needs, which car box comprises a free interior for receiving and transporting freight and/or passengers in the interior of the car box of the elevator, which interior is bounded by at least the floor, walls, roof, and preferably also door arrangement comprised in the car box, a floor element, vertical beams and roof beams, which floor element and vertical beams and roof beams are connected to each other such that they form a load-bearing frame structure, of rectangular prism shape, of the car box of the elevator, on the inside of which frame structure is a plurality of planar elements of rectangular shape fixed side-by-side to the frame structure and extending essentially from one edge side of the car box to another, from which plurality a uniform wall surface and/or roof surface of the car box is formed, and the plurality of which elements comprises elements differing to each other in respect of the functionalities integrated into the elements.

(21) In a more refined embodiment of the concept according to the invention the aforementioned load-bearing frame and the car box are separate from each other and the load-bearing frame is fixed to the car box essentially via the floor element.

(22) In a more refined embodiment of the concept according to the invention the aforementioned load-bearing frame is integrated into the car box, in which case at least the floor element forms a part of the load-bearing frame.

(23) In a more refined embodiment of the concept according to the invention the frame structure of the car box of the elevator car comprises a floor element, above which is the aforementioned interior and which floor element rigidly connects the aforementioned vertical beams and on which floor element means, such as diverting pulleys or rope clamps, for connecting the hoisting ropes to the elevator car are supported.

(24) In a more refined embodiment of the concept according to the invention the aforementioned frame structure of the car box of the elevator car comprises the vertical beam(s) of a first side and the vertical beam(s) of a second side, between which is the aforementioned interior, and which beams are rigidly connected to each other by the aid of the aforementioned roof beams.

(25) In a more refined embodiment of the concept according to the invention the aforementioned frame structure of the car box of the elevator car comprises the vertical beam(s) of a first side and the vertical beam(s) of a second side, which are disposed in the corners of the rectangularly-shaped floor element and together with the floor element form the edge sides of a frame structure of rectangular prism shape.

(26) All the joints referred to in this application can be implemented mechanically by connecting, e.g. with a screw and nut, by riveting, by welding or by gluing. The joint means can comprise a screw, a nut, a rivet, a stud, a nail or some other corresponding element suited to joining.

(27) Some inventive embodiments are also presented in the descriptive section and in the drawings of the present application. The inventive content of the application can also be defined differently than in the claims presented below. The inventive content may also consist of several separate inventions, especially if the invention is considered in the light of expressions or implicit sub-tasks or from the point of view of advantages or categories of advantages achieved. In this case, some of the attributes contained in the claims below may be superfluous from the point of view of separate inventive concepts. The features of the various embodiments of the invention can be applied within the framework of the basic inventive concept in conjunction with other embodiments. The additional features mentioned by each preceding embodiment can also singly and separately from the other embodiments form a separate invention.

(28) It is obvious to the person skilled in the art that in developing the technology the basic concept of the invention can be implemented in many different ways. The invention and the embodiments of it are not therefore limited to the examples described above, but instead they may be varied within the scope of the claims.