Elevator system

Abstract

An elevator system includes an elevator car that is movable in an elevator shaft in the vertical direction, a closed support belt guided about a lower deflection roller and an upper deflection roller and a drive machine driving the support belt. A drive connection is made between the support belt and the elevator car with a coupling device arranged on the elevator car that is coupled to a coupling element of the support belt. The coupling element is a connection element that connects two free ends of the support belt together.

Claims

1. An elevator system comprising: a first elevator car movable in a first elevator shaft in a vertical direction; a closed first support means guided about a lower deflection roller and an upper deflection roller in the first elevator shaft; a first drive machine driving the first support means; a first coupling device arranged on the first elevator car; wherein the first support means has a first primary coupling element which, when coupled to the first coupling device, produces a drive connection between the first elevator car and the first support means whereby the first elevator car can be moved in the first elevator shaft by the first support means driven by the first drive machine; wherein the first primary coupling element is a connection element that connects two free ends of the first support means together; and wherein during a normal operation of the elevator system the first coupling device can be coupled to the first primary coupling element and can be decoupled from the first primary coupling element whereby the drive connection between the first elevator car and the first support means can be produced and detached respectively.

2. The elevator system according to claim 1 including: a second elevator car movable in the first elevator shaft in the vertical direction; a closed second support means guided about another lower deflection roller and another upper deflection roller; a second drive machine driving the second support means; a second coupling device arranged on the second elevator car; and wherein the second support means has a second primary coupling element which, when coupled to the second coupling device, produces a drive connection between the second elevator car and the second support means whereby second elevator car can be moved in the first elevator shaft by the second support means driven by the second drive machine.

3. The elevator system according to claim 2 wherein each of the first and second support means has a secondary coupling element to and from which the first and second coupling devices can be coupled and decoupled, respectively, and the primary and secondary coupling elements of each of the first and second support means are arranged such that, in case of a movement of the elevator car coupled to one of the first and second support means from a lower end position to an upper end position, or vice versa, neither of the primary and secondary coupling elements of the one support means is guided about either of the deflection rollers associated with the one support means.

4. The elevator system according to claim 3 wherein the primary and secondary coupling elements of each of the first and second support means are arranged such that, in case of a movement of the elevator car coupled to one of the first and second support means, from the lower end position to the upper end position, or vice versa, neither of the primary and secondary coupling elements of the one support means contacts with either of the deflection rollers associated with the one support means.

5. The elevator system according to claim 3 wherein the primary and secondary coupling elements of each of the first and second support means are arranged such that, when the elevator car coupled to one of the support means via the primary coupling element has reached the upper end position, the secondary coupling element is positioned such that the coupling device of another of the elevator cars arranged in the lower end position can couple to the secondary coupling element.

6. The elevator system according to claim 3 wherein the first and second drive machines are controlled by an elevator controller that reverses a movement direction of the first and second support means for a next movement of the first and second elevator cars when the elevator cars have reached the lower end position or the upper end position.

7. The elevator system according to claim 2 wherein the first elevator car and the second elevator car are movable in the vertical direction in a second elevator shaft arranged parallel to the first elevator shaft, the elevator system having a first transfer device for displacing each of the elevator cars from the first elevator shaft to the second elevator shaft and a second transfer device for displacing the elevator cars from the second elevator shaft to the first elevator shaft, and wherein a movement of the elevator cars in the second elevator shaft is realized analogously to the movement of the elevator cars in the first elevator shaft.

8. The elevator system according to claim 7 wherein the elevator cars are moved only from a bottom to a top of the first elevator shaft, and only from a top to a bottom of the second elevator shaft.

9. The elevator system according to claim 7 wherein an equal number of support means, each having one primary coupling element and one secondary coupling element, are arranged in each of the first elevator shaft and the second elevator shaft, and a number of elevator cars movable in the first and second elevator shafts is at most equal to a total number of the support means.

10. The elevator system according to claim 1 wherein the first support means is a belt.

11. The elevator system according to claim 1 including a guide guiding the first primary coupling element in the first elevator shaft during movement of the first elevator car.

12. The elevator system according to claim 1 including a second coupling device arranged on the first elevator car whereby the first and second coupling devices simultaneously couple to coupling elements of two different support means.

13. The elevator system according to claim 12 wherein the first and second coupling devices are arranged on opposite sides of the first elevator car.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 shows a first elevator shaft of an elevator system with a first and a second elevator car, which can be coupled to the support means and can be decoupled from said support means;

(2) FIG. 2 shows an enlarged view of a coupling element of a support means from FIG. 1;

(3) FIG. 3 shows a top view of the first elevator shaft of the elevator system in FIG. 1 with a total of eight driving machines;

(4) FIG. 4 shows a bottom view of an elevator car of the elevator system in FIG. 1 with two coupling devices for coupling to and decoupling from coupling elements of the support means;

(5) FIGS. 5a-5c show a greatly simplified depiction of an elevator system according to FIG. 1 with two elevator shafts, two transfer devices, and two elevator cars with different positions of the elevator cars to illustrate the operating principle of the elevator system;

(6) FIG. 6 shows a single elevator shaft of an elevator system with a first and a second elevator car which are firmly coupled to support means; and

(7) FIG. 7 shows a bottom view of an elevator car of the elevator system in FIG. 6 with two coupling devices for a firm coupling to coupling elements of two support means.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(8) According to FIG. 1, an elevator system 10 has a first elevator shaft 12, in which a first elevator car 14 and a second elevator car 16 are arranged. The first elevator car 14 is located at a lower end position 18 which corresponds to a position of the elevator car 14 at a lowest floor of the building 20 having the elevator system 10. The second elevator car 16 is located at an upper end position 22, which corresponds to a position of the elevator car 16 at a top floor of the building 20. Between the lower end position 18 and the upper end position 22 are a multiplicity of floors, which are not shown in FIG. 1.

(9) The elevator system 10 has a vertically running vertical guide rail 24, on which the elevator cars 14, 16 are guided during a movement in the elevator shaft 12. For moving the elevator cars 14, 16 in the elevator shaft 12, the elevator system 10 comprises a total of eight closed support means, wherein FIG. 1 shows four of said support means 26a, 26b, 26c, 26d. The support means 26a, 26b, 26c, 26d are designed as belts and are each guided about a lower deflection roller 28 and an upper deflection roller 30.

(10) The two deflection rollers 28, 30 of a support means 26a, 26b, 26c, 26d are arranged vertically one above the other, and so the support means 26a, 26b, 26c, 26d run vertically between the deflection rollers 28, 30. The deflection rollers 28, 30 have particularly an effective diameter of less than 100 mm. The lower deflection rollers 28 are arranged below the first elevator car 14 and are each connected to a tension weight 32. The tension weight 32 acts as a tensioning device, with which the required support means pretension is generated, and deviations in the initial length of the closed support means 26a, 26b, 26c, 26d as well as operational plastic changes in length of the support means 26a, 26b, 26c, 26d are compensated.

(11) The upper deflection rollers 30 are arranged above the second elevator car 16 and are each used as a propulsion disk for each drive machine 34a, 34b, 34c, 34d designed as an electric motor. Each support means 26a, 26b, 26c, 26d is assigned a drive machine 34a, 34b, 34c, 34d, by means of which the support means 26a, 26b, 26c, 26d can be driven and moved. The drive machines 34a, 34b, 34c, 34d are controlled by an elevator controller 36, which controls all the actuators of the elevator system 10.

(12) Each support means 26a, 26b, 26c, 26d consists of two support means parts 38, 40, whose free ends 42 (see FIG. 2) are connected by means of a primary coupling element and a secondary coupling element. For that purpose, one free end 42 of the first support means part 38 is connected to a free end of the second support means part 40, and so each support means 26a, 26b, 26c, 26d forms a closed ring. A coupling element can thus also be called a connection element 45 (see FIG. 2). FIG. 1 only shows the first primary coupling element 44.1a and the first secondary coupling element 44.2a of the first support means 26a, as well as the second primary coupling element 44.1b and the second secondary coupling element 44.2b of the second support means 26b. As an example of the identically designed coupling elements, the first primary coupling element 44.1a is shown enlarged in FIG. 2. The coupling element 44.1a and thus the connection element 45 consists of two support means end connections 46 which are aligned in the opposite direction and connected to an intermediate piece 50 with a recess 48. The intermediate piece 50 has a mainly cuboid outer contour. The support means end connections 46 can be designed, for example, according to the support means end connections described in EP 1634842 A2. An extendable bolt 60 (see FIG. 4) of a coupling device arranged on an elevator car 14, 16 (see, e.g., coupling device 58b in FIG. 4) can be inserted into the recess 48, thus coupling the coupling device to the coupling element. By pulling the bolt 60 out of the recess 48, the coupling device can decouple from the coupling element. The coupling devices are arranged on a floor 51 of the elevator cars 14, 16 and shall be described in more detail in connection with FIG. 4. In the drawings, a coupling element 44.1a, 44.1b, 44.2a, 44.2b, to which a coupling device has been coupled, has a filled-in square. In FIG. 1, the second elevator car 16 is thus connected via the coupling element 44.1b to the second support means 26b which in FIG. 1 is arranged on the far left side.

(13) It is also possible that the coupling devices are arranged on the roof of an elevator car. The positions of the coupling elements on the support means must then be adjusted accordingly.

(14) Once an elevator car 14, 16 is coupled to a coupling element 44.1a, 44.1b, 44.2a, 44.2b via its associated coupling device, a drive connection between the elevator car 14, 16 and the support means 26a, 26b is produced. In this coupled state, the elevator car 14, 16 is carried along by the support means 26a, 26b and thus moved in the elevator shaft 12 when the support means 26a, 26b is driven or moved by the associated drive machine 34a, 34b. In the state shown in FIG. 1, the second elevator car 16 can thus be moved in the elevator shaft 12. Since the first elevator car 14 in FIG. 1 is not coupled to a support means 26a, 26b, 26c, 26d, a movement of the first elevator car 14 in the elevator shaft 12 is not possible in the state shown in FIG. 1.

(15) FIG. 3 shows a top view of the first elevator shaft 12 with a total of eight drive machines 34. The drive machines 34a, 34b, 34c, 34d are each drive-connected to a propulsion disk in the form of a deflection roller 30, over which one support means 26a, 26b, 26c, 26d runs. For reasons of clarity, the reference signs in FIG. 3 are shown only for one side. Four drive machines 34a, 34b, 34c, 34d are each arranged on opposite sides of the elevator car 16, wherein on each of the opposite sides of the elevator car 16, two drive machines 34a, 34b are arranged on one side and two drive machines 34c, 34d on the other side of the vertical guide rail 24. Drive axles 52 of the drive machines 34a, 34b, 34c, 34d run parallel to one another, wherein a respective drive machine 34a, 34b, 34c, 34d is arranged on one side of the elevator car 16 coaxially to a corresponding drive machine on the other side of the elevator car 16. On one or both free sides 54 of the elevator car 16, on which no drive machines 34a, 34b, 34c, 34d are arranged, a car door (not depicted) of the elevator car 16 is located.

(16) The elevator controller 36 similarly or synchronously controls two corresponding drive machines on opposite sides, and so their associated support means 26a, 26b, 26c, 26d also move synchronously or are moved synchronously. Two drive machines are controlled in the same way, which are arranged diagonally with respect to a center of gravity 56 of the elevator car 16, i.e., for example, in FIG. 3, the upper, leftmost drive machine 34b and the lower, rightmost drive machine. With the eight drive machines 34a, 34b, 34c, 34d, a total of four elevator cars can thus be moved simultaneously and independently of one another in the first elevator shaft 12.

(17) FIG. 4 shows a bottom view of the elevator car 16 with two coupling devices 58b for coupling to two coupling elements of the support means. In FIG. 4, the coupling devices 58b are coupled to the two primary coupling elements 44.1b of the second support means. The coupling devices 58b are each arranged opposite of the drive machines 34a, 34b, 34c, 34d (not shown in FIG. 4), and thus opposite of the coupling elements of the support means. Each coupling device 58b has a bolt 60 which can be extended and retracted in an actuating direction 62 which is oriented in the direction of the coupling elements 44.1b. For extending and retracting the bolt 60, the coupling device 58b has an actuator 64, which can be designed, for example, as an electric motor. For positioning the bolt 60 opposite of the coupling elements 44.1b, the bolt 60 together with the actuator 64 can be displaced horizontally and perpendicularly to the actuating direction 62 along a rail 66 by means of a positioning actuator 68, which, for example, is also designed as an electric motor.

(18) For coupling a coupling device 58b and thus the elevator car 16 to a coupling element 44.1b and thus to the second support means, the bolt 60 is first correctly positioned with respect to the corresponding coupling element 44.1b. Subsequently, the bolt 60 is extended, whereby the bolt 60 is inserted into the recess 48 of the coupling element 44.1b. This produces an interlocking connection between the coupling device 58b and the coupling element 44.1b and thus between the elevator car 16 and the second support means. Once this interlocking connection is produced, the elevator car 16 is moved in the elevator shaft 12 as soon as the second support means is driven or moved by the drive machine 34b.

(19) As already described in connection with FIG. 3, the elevator car 16 is coupled to two support means, which are arranged diagonally with respect to the center of gravity 56 of the elevator car. This is achieved in that the elevator car 16 is coupled to coupling elements 44.1b, which are arranged diagonally with respect to the center of gravity 56 of the elevator car 16.

(20) During the movement in the elevator shaft 12, each coupling element 44.1a, 44.1b, 44.2a, 44.2b is guided by a guide 53. The guide 53 is arranged between each coupling element 44.1a, 44.1b, 44.2a, 44.2b and the elevator car 16 and runs through the entire elevator shaft 12. The guides 53 particularly prevent a striking of a free coupling element 44.1a, 44.1b, 44.2a, 44.2b, i.e., a coupling element 44.1a, 44.1b, 44.2a, 44.2b not coupled to an elevator car 14, 16, against a passing elevator car 14, 16.

(21) It is also possible that the bolts of the coupling devices are not slidable transversely to the actuating direction. In this case, the coupling devices have separate bolts and actuators for each coupling element.

(22) It is also possible that an elevator car has only one coupling device, and so, for moving in the elevator shaft, an elevator car is coupled to only one support means. This is the case particularly when the drive machines and thus the support means are arranged on a side of the elevator cars which is opposite of the car door and thus the shaft doors.

(23) The drawings in FIGS. 5a, 5b, and 5c describe in more detail the operating principle of the elevator system 10 and particularly the arrangement of the primary and secondary coupling elements 44.1b, 44.2b of the second support means 26b. For reasons of clarity, only one upper and one lower area of the elevator system 10 and only the second support means 26b are shown per elevator shaft in FIGS. 5a, 5b, and 5c. In addition, the deflection rollers 28, 30 are shown with a larger diameter when compared to FIG. 1.

(24) In addition to a first elevator shaft 12, the elevator system 10 according to FIGS. 5a, 5b, and 5c has a second elevator shaft 13 which is arranged parallel to the first elevator shaft 12. The second elevator shaft 13 is designed analogously to the first elevator shaft 12. The movement of the elevator cars 14, 16 in the second elevator shaft 13 is realized analogously to the movement in the first elevator shaft 12. In the first elevator shaft 12, the elevator cars 14, 16 are moved only in an upward direction, and in the second elevator shaft 13, they are moved only in a downward direction.

(25) In FIG. 5a, the first elevator car 14 is located in the first elevator shaft 12 at the lower end position 18. It is coupled via its coupling device (not depicted in FIGS. 5a, 5b, and 5c) to a secondary coupling element 44.2b of the second support means 26b, said coupling element 44.2b being the right one in FIG. 5a. In this case, the first elevator car 14 has only a single, non-slidable coupling device. The coupling device is arranged such that it can be coupled to the secondary coupling element 44.2b. The first elevator car 14 can thus only be coupled to the secondary coupling element 44.2b, and so the first elevator car 14 is assigned the secondary coupling element 44.2b.

(26) A second primary coupling element 44.1b (on the left in FIG. 5a) of the second support means 26b is arranged on the second support means 26b such that a coupling device of an elevator car located at the upper end position 22 could decouple from the primary coupling element 44.1b. One deflection roller 28, 30 is each arranged between the secondary coupling element 44.2b and the primary coupling element 44.1b of the second support means 26b.

(27) For moving the first elevator car 14 upwards, the driving machine 34b drives the upper deflecting roller 30 in a counterclockwise movement direction, indicated by a directional arrow 69. With possible intermediate stops on floors between the lower end position 18 and the upper end position 22, the first elevator car 14 is moved to the upper end position 22. Simultaneously with the upward movement of the secondary coupling element 44.2b (on the right in FIG. 5a), the primary coupling element 44.1b (on the left in FIG. 5a) is moved in a downward direction. During said movement, neither of the two coupling elements 44.1b, 44.2b comes into contact with one of the two deflection rollers 28, 30. The coupling elements 44.1b, 44.2b thus neither touch either of the two deflection rollers 28, 30 nor are they guided about the deflection rollers 28, 30.

(28) In FIG. 5a, the second elevator car 16 is located in the second elevator shaft 13 at the upper end position 22. It is coupled via its coupling device (not depicted in FIGS. 5a, 5b, and 5c) to a primary coupling element 44.1b (on the left in FIG. 5a) of the second support means 26b. The second elevator car 16 also has only a single, non-slidable coupling device. The coupling device is arranged such that it can be coupled to the primary coupling element 44.1b. The second elevator car 16 can thus only be coupled to the primary coupling element 44.1b, and so the second elevator car 16 is assigned the primary coupling element 44.1b.

(29) A secondary coupling element 44.2b (on the right in FIG. 5a) of the second support means 26b is arranged on the second support means 26b such that a coupling device of an elevator car located at the lower end position 18 could decouple from the secondary coupling element 44.2b. One deflection roller 28, 30 each is arranged between the primary coupling element 44.1b and the secondary coupling element 44.2b of the second support means 26b.

(30) For moving the second elevator car 16 in a downward direction, the drive machine 34b also drives the upper deflection roller 30 in the counterclockwise direction. With possible intermediate stops on floors between the upper end position 22 and the lower end position 18, the second elevator car 16 is moved to the lower end position 18. Simultaneously with the downward movement of the primary coupling element 44.1b (on the left in FIG. 5a), the secondary coupling element 44.2b (on the right in FIG. 5a) is moved in an upward direction. During said movement, neither of the two coupling elements 44.1b, 44.2b comes into contact with one of the two deflection rollers 28, 30.

(31) FIG. 5b shows the situation when the first elevator car 14 in the first elevator shaft 12 has reached the upper end position 22 and the second elevator car 16 in the second elevator shaft 13 has reached the lower end position 18. Since the elevator cars 14, 16 in the first elevator shaft 12 are moved only upwards and only downwards in the second elevator shaft 13, both elevator cars 14, 16 must execute a shaft change.

(32) For executing shaft changes, the elevator system 10 has a first, upper transfer device 70, by means of which the first elevator car 14 can be displaced at the upper end position 22 from the first elevator shaft 12 to the second elevator shaft 13. The first transfer device 70 has a vertical guide rail piece 72 which guides the first elevator car 14 in the first transfer device 70. Before the beginning of the displacement, the first transfer device 70 is positioned such that the guide rail piece 72 forms a section of the vertical guide rail 24 of the first elevator shaft 12, by means of which the first elevator car 14 is guided during a movement in the first elevator shaft 12. The first elevator car 14 has a braking device 74, with which the first elevator car 14 is temporarily fastened to the guide rail piece 72, which is integrated in the first transfer device 70, during the displacement between the first elevator shaft 12 and the second elevator shaft 13.

(33) The elevator system 10 also has a second, lower transfer device 76 for displacing the second elevator car 16 in the lower end position 18 from the second elevator shaft 13 to the first elevator shaft 12. The second, lower transfer device 76 is designed analogously to the first, upper transfer device 70. The second elevator car 16 also has a braking device 74.

(34) The transfer devices 70, 76 can be designed particularly in accordance with the transfer devices in the form of horizontal displacement units of EP 2219985 B1.

(35) FIG. 5c shows the situation after the displacement of the two elevator cars 14, 16. The first elevator car 14 is positioned in the second elevator shaft 13 at the upper end position 22, and the second elevator car 16 is positioned in the first elevator shaft 12 at the lower end position 18.

(36) The second elevator car 16 currently arranged in the first elevator shaft 12 at the lower end position 18 is now coupled via its coupling device to the primary coupling element 44.1b (on the left in FIG. 5c) of the second support means 26b. The secondary coupling element 44.2b (on the right in FIG. 5c) of the second support means 26b is arranged on the second support means 26b such that a coupling device of an elevator car located at the upper end position 22 could decouple from the secondary coupling element 44.2b.

(37) For moving the second elevator car 16 upwards, the drive machine 34b now drives the upper deflection roller 30 in the clockwise direction. The drive machine 34b is thus controlled by the elevator controller such that the movement direction of the second support means 26b is reversed for the next movement of an elevator car when an elevator car has reached the lower end position or the upper end position.

(38) With possible intermediate stops on floors between the lower end position 18 and the upper end position 22, the second elevator car 16 is moved to the upper end position 22. Simultaneously with the upward movement of the primary coupling element 44.1b (on the left in FIG. 5c), the secondary coupling element 44.2b (on the right in FIG. 5c) is moved in a downward direction.

(39) In FIG. 5c, the first elevator car 14 is located in the second elevator shaft 13 at the upper end position 22. It is coupled via its coupling device to the secondary coupling element 44.2b (on the right in FIG. 5c) of the second support means 26b. The primary coupling element 44.1b (on the left in FIG. 5c) of the second support means 26b is arranged on the second support means 26b such that a coupling device of an elevator car located at the lower end position 18 could decouple from the secondary coupling element 44.1b.

(40) For moving the first elevator car 14 in a downward direction, the drive machine 34b now drives the upper deflection roller 30 also in the clockwise direction. In comparison to FIG. 5a, there is thus also a reversal of the movement direction of the second support means 26b. With possible intermediate stops on floors between the upper end position 22 and the lower end position 18, the first elevator car 14 is moved to the lower end position 18. Simultaneously with the downward movement of the secondary coupling element 44.2b (on the right in FIG. 5c), the primary coupling element 44.1b (on the left in FIG. 5c) is moved in an upward direction.

(41) According to the model shown in FIGS. 5a-5c, four elevator cars per elevator shaft and thus a total of eight elevator cars can be moved simultaneously in the vertical direction in the elevator system according to FIGS. 1-4.

(42) It is also possible for the elevator system to have a third elevator shaft, in which elevator cars can be parked which are currently not needed.

(43) FIGS. 6 and 7 show an elevator system 110 with only a single elevator shaft 112. The elevator system 110 in FIGS. 6 and 7 is designed similarly to the elevator system 10 according to FIGS. 1-5c, and so only the differences between the elevator system 110 and the elevator system 10 shall be described.

(44) The elevator system 110 in FIG. 6 has a total of four independently movable elevator cars, wherein only a first, lower elevator car 114 and an upper, second elevator car 116 are shown. The first elevator car 114 is coupled via a first coupling device 158a and a first primary coupling element 144.1a to a first support means 126a. The second elevator car 116 is coupled via a second coupling device 158b and a second primary coupling element 144.1b to a second support means 126b. For that purpose, the coupling is designed such that it cannot be disengaged during a normal operation of the elevator system 110, i.e., said coupling devices cannot be decoupled from the coupling elements. During normal operation of the elevator system 110, there is thus always a drive connection between an elevator car and the associated support means.

(45) The four elevator cars can thus be moved independently of one another in the elevator shaft 112.

(46) As shown in FIG. 7, a bolt 160 of the second coupling device 158b is inserted into a recess 148 of the second primary coupling element 144.1b. The bolt 160 is securely fastened to the floor 151 of the second elevator car 116 via two U-shaped fastening elements 164 arranged at a distance from one another. The two fastening elements 164 are screwed to the floor 151 by means of screws (not depicted). The bolts 160, the fastening elements 164, and the screws thus form the coupling device 158b, which realize a coupling to the second primary coupling element 144.1b, which cannot be disengaged during normal operation of the elevator system 110.

(47) Alternatively, the coupling element could also be screwed directly to the elevator car.

(48) The elevator cars can also be held by a mainly L-shaped frame which is guided and driven. Such a design is also called a backpack arrangement.

(49) Finally, it must be noted that terms such as “having,” “comprising,” etc. do not exclude any other elements or steps, and terms such as “an” or “a” do not exclude a multiplicity. It must further be noted that features or steps which have been described with reference to one of the above embodiments can also be used in combination with other features or steps of other embodiments described above.

(50) 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.