Extended roller guides

Abstract

The invention relates to an elevator having a car and guide rails along which the car is guided along a hoistway between landings of the elevator, the car comprising: a frame, upper and lower guide elements, which are mounted to said frame at a vertical distance from each other, and exactly one elevator cabin with a cabin floor, in which elevator the cabin isin travel direction of the carmovably connected to the frame between an uppermost and a lowermost position. By this means a high travel comfort can be obtained with economic space usage at the top and bottom of the hoistway.

Claims

1. An elevator having a car and guide rails along which the car is guided along a hoistway between landings of the elevator, the car comprising: a frame, upper and lower guide elements, which are mounted to said frame at a vertical distance from each other, and exactly one elevator cabin with a cabin floor, in which elevator the cabin isin a travel direction of the carmovably connected to the frame between an uppermost and a lowermost position, wherein a position of the cabin floor is configured to be centralized with respect to the upper and lower guide elements as long as the car is not located at an uppermost or a lowermost landing of the elevator.

2. The elevator according to claim 1, wherein the car has adjustment means configured to move or lock the cabin relative to the frame.

3. The elevator according to claim 2, wherein the elevator comprises a control of the elevator, and wherein the adjustment means is controlled by the control to selectively move or lock the cabin relative to frame dependent on the position of the car in the hoistway.

4. The elevator according to claim 1, wherein the car is suspended in the hoistway by means of hoisting ropes.

5. The elevator according to claim 4, wherein an adjustment between the uppermost and lowermost position of the cabin with respect to the frame is effected by gravity acting on the frame.

6. The elevator according to claim 4, wherein in a pit of the hoistway a stopper is provided for the frame or any part connected therewith.

7. The elevator according to claim 1, wherein the elevator is configured to adjust a position of the cabin with respect to the frame to the uppermost position when the car is reaching the uppermost landing of the elevator.

8. The elevator according to claim 1, wherein the elevator is configured to adjust a position of the cabin with respect to the frame to the lowermost position when the car is reaching the lowermost landing of the elevator.

9. The elevator according to claim 1, wherein the length of the frame in a direction of the hoistway is 150 to 300% of a height of the cabin.

10. The elevator according to claim 1, wherein in the uppermost position of the cabin with respect to the frame, a vertical level of the cabin roof is in a proximity of the vertical level of the upper guide elements and, wherein in the lowermost position of the cabin with respect to the frame, the vertical level of the cabin floor is in the proximity of the vertical level of the lower guide elements.

11. The elevator according to claim 1, wherein in all positions of the car in the hoistway except at the lowermost landing, a mutual position of the cabin and the frame is adjusted by gravity such that the cabin is in its uppermost position, and that in this position the cabin floor is centralized between the upper and lower guide elements.

12. The elevator according to claim 1, wherein the elevator comprises a guide rail brake fixed to said frame.

13. The elevator according to claim 1, wherein a mutual position between the cabin and the frame is configured to be locked, if a gripping device connected with the frame is activated and/or if a safety circuit of the elevator is opened.

14. The elevator according to claim 1 wherein the upper and lower guide elements are guide rollers.

15. An elevator with landings having an elevator car and guide rails for guiding the car in a hoistway of the elevator between said landings, the car having upper and lower guide elements, and exactly one cabin having a cabin floor, which cabin floor is movable relative to the lower and/or upper guide elements, whereby, when the car is away from the lowermost or uppermost landing of the elevator, the position of the cabin floor is adjustable to be centralized between the upper and lower guide elements, and that, when the car approaches the topmost or lowermost landing, a distance between the cabin floor and a corresponding upper/lower guide element is adjustable to be reduced with respect to said centralized position.

16. An elevator according to claim 15, wherein except the lowermost landing the position of the cabin floor is adjustable to be centralized between upper and lower guide elements and that at the lowermost landing the distance between the cabin floor and the lower guide elements is adjusted to be reduced with respect to the centralized position.

17. The elevator according to claim 15 wherein the elevator car has an adjustment means for moving said cabin floor relative to the lower and/or upper guide elements, said adjustment means further being controllable by a control of the elevator, whereby, when the car is away from the lowermost or uppermost landing of the elevator, the control of the elevator controls the adjustment means so as to position the cabin floor centrally between the upper and lower guide elements.

18. The elevator according to claim 15 wherein the car comprises a car frame to which the upper and lower guide elements are mounted, and wherein the position of the cabin with respect to the car frame is movable in travelling direction of the car.

19. A method for controlling an elevator having a hoistway, a car and guide rails, wherein the car is guided along the guide rails in the hoistway between landings, the car having upper and lower guide elements and exactly one cabin with a cabin floor, in which method a position of the cabin floor with respect to the upper and lower guide elements is adjusted to be central between the upper and lower guide elements when the car is away from a lowermost or an uppermost landing of the elevator, and in which method a distance between the cabin floor and the upper and lower guide elements is adjusted to be reduced when the car is at the uppermost or lowermost landing, respectively.

Description

(1) The invention is now described with the aid of the corresponding schematic drawings.

(2) FIG. 1 is a side view of an elevator with a car somewhere in the middle of an elevator shaft,

(3) FIG. 2 shows the same elevator of FIG. 1 with the car at the top of the elevator shaft,

(4) FIG. 3 shows the elevator of FIG. 1 with the car of the bottom of the elevator shaft,

(5) FIG. 4 shows an adjustment means for the adjustment of the mutual position of the car frame and

(6) FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of an adjustment means with two sprocket wheels meshing a rack on two opposite sides.

(7) The elevator 10 in FIG. 1 has an elevator shaft 12 wherein guide rails 14, 16 are extending vertically along the length of the elevator shaft. The elevator comprises an elevator car 18 having a cabin 20 suspended by hoisting ropes 22 and two identical frame parts 24, 26 on both sides of the cabin 20. Of course the elevator can also be implemented only with one frame part. Both frame parts may be located on opposite sides of the elevator car.

(8) The frame parts 24 and 26 form the frame 23 of the car 18 and may be connected by connecting structures (not shown), if desired. Upper guide rollers 28 and lower guide rollers 30 are mounted to the frame parts 24, 26 of the frame 23 which interact with the guide rails 14, 16 as to guide the car 18 in the elevator shaft 12. The upper and lower guide rollers 28, 30 are preferably mounted in the region of the upper and lower ends of the frame parts 24, 26 so as to efficiently use the frame length for the maximum distance between the upper and lower guide rollers meeting the guide rails. Further, a safety gear 32 is connected to both frame parts 24, 26 to effect any braking in connection with the guide rails 14, 16. The cabin 20 is movably connected to the longitudinal vertically extending support profiles 34 of the frame parts 24, 26 via a linear bearing 27. On this behalf the support profiles comprise a guiding track which interacts with corresponding guide parts, e.g. rollers, of the cabin to form the linear bearing 27.

(9) In FIG. 1 the movement of the frame parts 24, 26 with respect to the cabin is effected via gravity acting on the frame parts 24, 26. Accordingly, the frame parts 24, 26 are pulled down by their own weight with respect to the cabin 20 which is supported by the hoisting ropes 22. Thus, the cabin 20 is located in its uppermost position with respect to the frame 23 during the travel along the length of the shaft except the lowermost landing. FIG. 1 shows the arrangement somewhere in the middle of the shaft. In its uppermost position the cabin floor 36 is centralized in the middle between the upper guide rollers 28 and the lower guide rollers 30. As the distance between the upper/lower guide rollers is d, the distance of the cabin floor 36 from the upper as well from the lower guide elements is about d/2. Of course, the position of the cabin floor must only roughly be centralized, which means that a play of +/0.5 m does not affect the essential advantage of improved ride comfort. Accordingly this situation and arrangement of the cabin 20 with respect to the car frame 23 guaranties optimum ride comfort of the elevator.

(10) FIG. 2 shows the elevator 10 of FIG. 1 with the car 18 at its uppermost position in the top of the elevator shaft 12. In this position the level of the cabin roof 38 deviates from the level of the upper guide rollers only by a play d.sub.u which is less than +/0.5 m, preferably less than +/0.3 m. By this means the long frame 23 of the car 18 does not necessitate any additional shaft space in the top of the elevator shaft although the length of the frame including the guide rollers is about the double of the height of the cabin.

(11) FIG. 3 shows the elevator 10 when the car 18 approaches the shaft bottom. In this case the lower rollers 30 mounted to the frame 23 run on stoppers 40 so that the vertical downwards movement of the frame 23 is stopped by the lower guide rollers 30 meeting the stoppers 40 while the cabin still moves down suspended by the hoisting ropes 22. The further downward movement of the cabin is stopped at the lowermost landing of the elevator preferably when also the cabin has achieved its lowermost position with respect to the car frame 23. Accordingly, no extended pit has to be provided for the elongated frame 23 of the elevator car 18. The level of the cabin floor deviates in this situation from the level of the lower guide rollers 30 by the play d.sub.L which is preferably less than +/0.5 m, preferably less than +/0.3 m.

(12) Accordingly, this embodiment realizes with very little effort an extraordinary ride comfort particularly for high rise or very fast elevators and provides on the other hand a maximum space efficiency with respect to the upper and lower end of the elevator shaft.

(13) A locking device (not shown) may be provided to lock the mutual position between cabin and car frame particularly in braking and/or emergency situations to stop a further down travel of the cabin if the gripping devices 32 of the frame 23 are activated. Thus, this construction corresponds with current safety regulations.

(14) Of course, in the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 3 it is not necessary in the invention that during the travel the cabin is in the uppermost position wherein the cabin roof is in the vicinity of the upper guide rollers. Further, it is not necessary that the cabin is in the uppermost position wherein the cabin roof is in the vicinity of the upper guide rollers when the cabin floor is centralized.

(15) FIG. 4 shows a possible adjustment means for adjusting the mutual position of a car frame 50 and a cabin 52. The frame 50 comprises a vertical leg on its edge having an L or T shaped profile so as to build a guide track 54 which is gripped on both opposite sites by support rollers 56, 58 which are fixed with a support beam 60 to the cabin 55. The cabin 55 has at least two of such horizontally extending roller arrangements 56, 58, preferably one in the proximity of the car roof and one in the proximity of the car floor. The frame comprises a frame support plate 62 and the cabin comprises a cabin support plate 64. Between the frame support plate 62 and the cabin support plate 64 a hydraulic operated piston arrangement 66 is provided. This arrangement enables the movement and adjustment of the relative positions of frame 50 and cabin 52. This device also locks the actual mutual position in case of emergencies.

(16) FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of an adjustment means for a movable connection between a car frame 72 and a cabin 74. In this solution the cabin 74 has extending from its upper side wall to the frame 72 a drive and guide arrangement 75 formed by two pinions 76, 78 extending from the cabin in the direction of the car frame 72. These pinions 76, 78 mesh a vertically extending rack 80 of the car frame 72. The pinions 76 and 78 are driven by electro motors (not shown) so that this arrangement provides for the drive as well as for the guide and support of the cabin 74 with respect to the car frame 72. This arrangement 75 locks the mutual position of cabin and frame if the electro motors are not operated (e.g. in emergencies).

(17) In the embodiment of FIG. 5 either stops can be provided to limit the movement of the cabin 74 with respect to the car frame 72 or the uppermost or lowermost mutual positions can be defined via the control of the pinions 76, 78. Of course the drive and guide arrangement 75 shown in FIG. 5 is located at least two vertically different positions of the cabin.

(18) In the embodiments of FIGS. 4 and 5 the movement of the cabin with respect to the car frame is not effected by gravity in contrast to the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 3.

(19) The invention is not restricted to the embodiments as mentioned above but can be varied in the scope of the protection as defined in the claims.