Patent Application
20150298938
Elevator systems include a variety of components to ensure that the system works as intended. Some type of guide arrangement is associated with the elevator car and counterweight to guide movement of the car and counterweight along guiderails. Many elevator guide arrangements include rollers that roll along surfaces on the guiderail as the elevator car moves up and down. Other guide assemblies include sliding elements that slide along surfaces of the guiderail.
There are known reasons for selecting rollers or sliding elements for elevator guides. Sliding guide elements are typically selected for installations that include space constraints because guides including rollers typically occupy more space. Sliding guide elements are sometimes preferred because they typically cost less than roller guides. Guide assemblies including rollers are typically selected for higher speed elevators. Another reason to select roller guides is to provide higher ride quality levels. Roller guides also reduce energy consumption because they have reduced frictional losses compared to sliding guide elements.
Elevator system and component designers have been facing the ongoing challenges of reducing costs of elevator systems and fitting elevator system components within tighter space constraints. In many circumstances, these objectives can be considered incompatible and unattainable without significant innovation.
An exemplary vertically moveable elevator system component includes a top portion, a bottom portion and a plurality of vertically oriented side portions between the top and bottom portions. At least one of the side portions includes a roller guide support sheet. A first roller guide roller is supported by the sheet such that the first roller is at least partially disposed on a first side of the sheet and an axis of the first roller is generally parallel with the sheet. Second and third rollers are supported by the sheet such that the second and third rollers are on a second, oppositely facing side of the sheet. An axis of each of the second and third rollers is generally perpendicular to the axis of the first roller. The axis of each of the second and third roller remains in a fixed position relative to the sheet.
An exemplary elevator roller guide assembly includes a roller guide support sheet having a mounting hole through the sheet and a support arm projecting from the sheet. A first roller is supported by the support arm at least partially on a first side of the sheet. An axis of the first roller is generally parallel to the sheet. A second roller has a second portion received in the mounting hole so that the portion remains fixed relative to the sheet. A wheel of the second roller is on a second, oppositely facing side of the sheet. The wheel of the second roller is rotatable about an axis that is generally perpendicular to the sheet.
An exemplary elevator cab includes a floor and a ceiling. A plurality of side walls extend between the floor and the ceiling. At least one of the side walls comprises a roller guide support sheet. A first roller guide roller is supported by the sheet such that the first roller is at least partially disposed on a first side of the sheet. An axis of the first roller is generally parallel with the sheet. Second and third roller guide rollers are supported by the sheet such that the second and third rollers are on a second, oppositely facing side of the sheet. An axis of each of the second and third rollers is generally perpendicular to the axis of the first roller.
The various features and advantages of disclosed examples will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description. The drawings that accompany the detailed description can be briefly described as follows.
The car (framed or frameless) and guiderails 31 can be part of an elevator system that could include (but not shown) a counterweight, roping for suspending and driving the car and/or counterweight, and a machine that drives a traction sheave to move the roping and transport the car and/or counterweight.
The roller guide assemblies 30 each include a first roller 34 that is at least partially on one side of the sheet 32, which establishes a portion of the corresponding sidewall 26 or 28. In this example, the sheet 32 is configured so that a first side establishes an interior of the elevator cab 20 at a corresponding location along the sidewall where the sheet 32 is located. The first roller 34 is disposed at least partially on the first side of the sheet in this example. A second side of the sheet 32 faces outward and establishes an exterior of a corresponding portion of the sidewall of the elevator cab 20.
Each roller guide assembly 30 includes a second roller 36 and a third roller 38 supported by the sheet 32 on the second side of the sheet. The example sheets 32 include openings 40 through which a portion of at least a wheel of each first roller protrudes so that the first roller 34 can follow along a corresponding surface on a guiderail.
One feature of the illustrated example is that the roller guide assemblies are at least partially positioned on the sides of the elevator cab 20 between the cab 20 and the corresponding guiderail 31. This is different than conventional arrangements where roller guide assemblies were mounted completely above or below an elevator cab. For example, the second rollers 36 and the third rollers 38 are at least partially disposed in a vertical position between the floor 22 and the ceiling 24 of the elevator cab 20. Being able to position the roller guide assemblies in this manner provides space savings within an elevator system. The illustrated example allows for using roller guide assemblies that include three rollers without requiring that the entire roller guide assembly be positioned above or below the elevator cab. Most attempts at providing such a position for a guide arrangement required using sliding guide elements instead of rollers because of the space constraints between the sides of an elevator cab and the guiderails. With the illustrated example, the advantages of a three roller, roller guide assembly and space savings can be realized simultaneously.
Referring to
The first roller 34 is supported by support arms 50 that extend from the first side of the sheet 32, which is opposite to the second side on which the second roller 36 and third roller 38 are disposed. The opening 40 allows a portion of the first roller 34 to protrude past the second side of the sheet 32 so that all three rollers are in a position to engage a corresponding surface on a guiderail 31. In the illustrated example, the support arms 50 comprise pieces that are secured to the sheet 32. Those pieces are supported by the sheet 32 and, therefore, the first roller 34 is considered supported by the sheet 32. In other examples, the support arms 50 are formed from portions of the sheet 32.
The arrangement illustrated in
The illustrated example includes a boss 54 near each of the mounting holes 44. The bosses 54 provide spacing between wheel portions 56 and 58 of the rollers 36 and 38, respectively, and the sheet 32. The bosses 54 eliminate the need for providing separate spacer elements between the sheet 32 and the wheel portions 56 and 58 of the rollers. Including boss portions 54 further streamlines the assembly and installation of the roller guide assembly consistent with the illustrated example.
As shown in
As can be appreciated from
The example
The example of
Whether utilized for guiding a cab or counterweight, the example roller guide assemblies allow for having a roller guide support sheet 32 that derives support from the surrounding elevator component structure (e.g., the sidewall or upright of an elevator cab or a side portion of a counterweight). This allows for using a sheet such as the example sheets 32 for the for the roller guide support while minimizing the strength requirements of the sheet, itself. In some examples, the roller guide support sheet is a portion of the elevator component structure.
Various features of different example embodiments have been disclosed. The features of each example are not necessarily exclusive to that example, as various combinations of those features may be realized. Further, different configurations of the structural portions of the sheet used for supporting the rollers may be used on the upper and lower portions of a single elevator cab. Given this description, those skilled in the art will realize what combination of features from the disclosed examples will best meet the needs of their particular situation.
The preceding description is exemplary rather than limiting in nature. Variations and modifications to the disclosed examples may become apparent to those skilled in the art that do not necessarily depart from the essence of this invention. The scope of legal protection given to this invention can only be determined by studying the following claims.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2011/048916 | 8/24/2011 | WO | 00 | 2/14/2014 |
