METHOD FOR FORMING A GUIDE STRUCTURE FOR GUIDING AN ELEVATOR CAR IN AN ELEVATOR SHAFT

Abstract

A method for forming a guide structure in an elevator shaft provides a guide structure configured to guide an elevator car during vertical travel in the elevator shaft. The method includes the following steps: moving a tool, such as a milling tool, vertically along the elevator shaft, wherein the tool is precisely positioned with respect to the horizontal position thereof within the elevator shaft, and forming the guide structure by removing material on a shaft wall of the elevator shaft using the tool.

Claims

1-13. (canceled)

14. A method for forming a guide structure in an elevator shaft, the guide structure being configured to guide an elevator car during vertical travel of the car in the elevator shaft, the method comprising the steps of: moving a tool vertically along the elevator shaft while the tool is in a predetermined horizontal position within the elevator shaft; and forming the guide structure by removing material on a shaft wall of the elevator shaft using the tool during the vertical movement of the tool along the elevator shaft.

15. The method according to claim 14 including automatically performing the moving of the tool and positioning of the tool in the predetermined horizontal position.

16. The method according to claim 14 wherein the tool has a milling head and a groove is produced vertically along the shaft wall by removing the material using the milling head.

17. The method according to claim 16 wherein the milling head has a milling disc and the material is milled out of the shaft wall by milling disc.

18. The method according to claim 14 including a convex structure projecting from the shaft wall into an interior of the elevator shaft, and wherein the guide structure is formed by removing the material from the convex structure using the tool.

19. The method according to claim 18 including forming the convex structure on the shaft wall during formation of the shaft wall.

20. The method according to claim 19 wherein the convex structure is integrated with the shaft wall.

21. The method according to claim 18 including adding the convex structure to the shaft wall by attachment.

22. The method according to claim 21 including gluing the convex structure to the shaft wall.

23. The method according to claim 21 including screwing the convex structure to the shaft wall.

24. The method according to claim 14 including applying a plastics layer to a running surface formed on the guide structure.

25. The method according to claim 14 including positioning the tool in the predetermined horizontal position within the elevator shaft relative to a vertical reference line provided in the elevator shaft.

26. The method according to claim 25 wherein the reference line is a plumb line provided in the elevator shaft.

27. An elevator shaft comprising: a shaft wall; and a guide structure for guiding an elevator car during vertical travel in the elevator shaft, the guide structure being formed by the method according to claim 14.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0059] FIG. 1 shows an elevator shaft in which a guide structure is formed by means of a method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0060] FIG. 2 is a sectional view through a guide structure formed according to the invention.

[0061] FIG. 3 is a sectional view through an alternative guide structure formed according to the invention.

[0062] FIG. 4 is a sectional view through the alternative guide structure that has been added to the shaft wall after completion according to the invention.

[0063] The drawings are merely schematic and not to scale. Like reference signs denote like or equivalent features in the various drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0064] FIG. 1 shows an elevator shaft 1. The elevator shaft 1 is formed by a substantially cuboid volume which is formed in a building and is laterally delimited by shaft walls 3. In this case, the shaft walls 3 extend vertically, i.e. in a z-direction. The elevator shaft 1 is delimited at the top and bottom by a ceiling and a floor, respectively, which extend horizontally, i.e. in a plane spanned by an x-direction and a y-direction.

[0065] An elevator car (not shown) is to be moved vertically in the elevator shaft 1 at a later point in time. In this case, the elevator car is to be guided on one or more guide structures 5 within the elevator shaft 1.

[0066] In order to form such a guide structure 5 in the elevator shaft 1, a tool 7 can be received in the elevator shaft 1 according to embodiments of the method described herein. In this case, precautions are taken in order to be able to move the tool 7 vertically within the elevator shaft 1 and at the same time position the tool precisely with regard to the horizontal position thereof within the elevator shaft 1. The tool 7 is in this case configured to form the desired guide structure 5 in the form of a vertically extending groove on one of the shaft walls 3 by removing material there during the vertical movement within or along the elevator shaft.

[0067] In order to implement these functionalities, as illustrated in a simplified manner in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, a movement device 9 can be provided, for example, which is configured to raise or lower the tool 7 vertically along the elevator shaft 1 in a controlled manner. Such a movement device can be, for example, a cable winch 11 which can wind and unwind a cable 13 in order to move a frame 15 or car attached to one end of the cable 13 within the elevator shaft 1. The tool 7 can be held on or in the frame 15 or car.

[0068] A lateral position of the tool 7 or of the frame 15 holding the tool can be influenced by means of a positioning device 17. For this purpose, the positioning device 17 can have, for example, an actuator system having actuators 19, by means of which rams 21 can be moved in the horizontal direction. A plurality of actuators 19 and rams 21 can be provided, which can be moved in different directions in order to be able to move the lateral position of the tool 7 or the frame 15 overall in the x-direction and/or the y-direction. The actuators 19 and rams 21 can possibly also be configured and operated such that they can be used to support the tool 7 or the frame 15 on opposite lateral walls 3 and thus to brace and fix the tool or frame within the elevator shaft 1.

[0069] A detection device 23 is also provided. The current lateral position of the tool 7 or of the frame 15 within the elevator shaft 1 can be detected by means of the detection device 23. For this purpose, the detection device 23 can detect, for example, a vertical reference line 25 provided in the elevator shaft 1, the position and/or orientation or course of which within the elevator shaft 1 are known. The reference line 25 can be formed by a plumb line 27 installed in the elevator shaft 1, for example. Detection signals from the detection device 23, which indicate where the tool 7 is currently located relative to the reference line 25, can be transmitted to the positioning device 17, so that the positioning device can then laterally move the frame 15 with the tool 7 attached thereto into a desired target position.

[0070] Both the movement of the tool 7 using the movement device 9 and the lateral positioning of the tool 7 using the positioning device 17 can be carried out in a fully automated or at least partially automated manner. For this purpose, for example, partial controllers of the movement device 9, the positioning device 17 and possibly the tool 7 itself can communicate with one another or be coordinated by a central controller.

[0071] In order to be able to remove material on a shaft wall 3 in a targeted manner using the tool 7, the tool can be configured as a milling tool, for example. For example, the tool 7 can have a milling head 29 on which a milling disc 31 is provided. The milling disc 31 can be circular, for example, and can be driven in rotation. In this case, the tool 7 corresponds to or resembles a slot cutter or wall chaser.

[0072] By moving the tool 7 with its rotating milling disc 31 vertically through the elevator shaft 1 while keeping the lateral position thereof precisely at a lateral target position, i.e. moving the tool along a desired vertical line through the elevator shaft, for example, the milling disc 31 can cut the material from the shaft wall 3 or from a structure provided on the shaft wall 3. In this way, a preferably linearly extending groove 33 can be produced on the shaft wall 3.

[0073] A mechatronic installation component can also be arranged on the frame, for example in the form of an industrial robot, which can pick up and guide the tool. In this case, the frame can be positioned and fixed at different heights in the elevator shaft, the tool, in the fixed state, being moved along a shaft wall in such a way that the guide structure is formed by removing material on the shaft wall.

[0074] FIG. 2 is a horizontally sectional view through the tool 7 and the groove 33 produced in the shaft wall 3 by means of the tool. The milling disc 31 removes material directly from the shaft wall 3. The shaft wall 3 is typically made of concrete in which reinforcements 35 are embedded. The reinforcements 35 are typically covered by a concrete cover layer 37 a few centimeters thick. When forming the groove 33, the tool 7 can preferably be positioned such that the groove 33 extends sufficiently deeply into the shaft wall 3, but the reinforcements 35 located under the concrete cover layer 37 are not damaged.

[0075] An alternative embodiment for forming the groove 33 on the shaft wall 3 is shown in FIG. 3. In this embodiment, the tool 7 does not mill material directly out of the shaft wall 3. Instead, a convex structure 39 projecting into an interior of the elevator shaft 1 is provided on the shaft wall 3. The convex structure 39 can have an approximately rectangular cross section, for example. The convex structure 39 can protrude a few centimeters beyond a planar surface 41 of the shaft wall 3, for example. Material can then be removed from this convex structure 39 by means of the tool 7. In this way, for example, a vertically extending groove 33 can be produced in the convex structure 39. In this case, the groove 33 can extend more precisely, i.e. for example straighter and/or more accurately in accordance with the vertical, than is the case for the convex structure 39.

[0076] As shown in FIG. 3, the convex structure 39 can be formed directly during the formation of the shaft wall 3 together with said the shaft wall. For example, when the shaft wall 3 is cast with concrete, the convex structure 39 can also be cast. In this case, the convex structure 39 can be integrated with the shaft wall 3.

[0077] Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 4, the convex structure 39 can have been added to the shaft wall 3 only after it has been completed. For this purpose, the convex structure 39 can be formed, for example, by means of a plurality of component segments 42 which are rectangular in cross section. The component segments 42 can be fixed to the shaft wall 3. For example, the component segments 42 can be screwed to the shaft wall 3 using a large number of relatively small screws 46. Alternatively or additionally, the component segments 42 can be glued to the shaft wall 3. A plurality of such component segments 42 can be fixed to the shaft wall 3 vertically above one another, for example along substantially the entire length of the elevator shaft 1, in order to overall form the convex structure 39 extending vertically along the shaft wall 3.

[0078] The groove 33 formed in the shaft wall 3 or in the convex structure 39 can later be used as a guide structure 5 for guiding the elevator car. In this case, for example, a roller of a guide shoe provided on the elevator car can roll in the groove 33 and be guided by the mutually opposing lateral flanks 43 of the groove 33.

[0079] In order to smooth, harden and/or protect a running surface 45 of a guide structure 5 formed in this way from abrasion, for example, the running surface 45 can be protected by means of a plastics layer 47 (see FIG. 2). The running surface 45 can be formed, for example, by a base and/or the flanks 43 of the groove 33. The plastics layer 47 can also have damping properties. For example, the plastics layer can be a few 100 μm up to a few millimeters thick. The plastics layer can be applied, for example, directly after the groove 33 has been milled. A suitable application device can be provided on the tool 7 for this purpose. Alternatively, the plastics layer can be applied using a separate device and/or at a different point in time.

[0080] 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 that 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.

[0081] 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.