Elevator systems are well known and in widespread use. There are various configurations of elevator systems. In many cases, an elevator car is associated with a counterweight and the two move in a coordinated fashion within a hoistway. The elevator car and counterweight each follow guide rails as they move within the hoistway.
Installing guide rails in an elevator system presents challenges and difficulties. A guide rail installation process is typically time-consuming and labor-intensive. There typically are many bracket components used for securing the guide rails in desired positions within a hoistway. Additionally, the alignment of the guide rails throughout the hoistway must be ensured to achieve proper ride quality.
For example, current rail fixings are adjustable for all of the rails. There are as many required alignment measurements as there are rails. This is normally done by dropping individual lines of wire from the top of the hoistway and then adjusting each of the rail blades square to the respective alignment wire.
If it were possible to streamline the guide rail installation process that would present cost savings in time and materials for elevator system manufacturers and installers.
An exemplary door frame assembly that is useful in an elevator system includes a plurality of door frame members including a header, a sill and a plurality of jambs. The door frame members are configured to be secured into a desired position along a hoistway. At least one guide rail bracket is supported by at least one of the door frame members. The guide rail bracket is moveable relative to the door frame member between a handling position in which the guide rail bracket is generally parallel to at least one of the header or the sill and a deployed position in which the guide rail bracket is generally perpendicular to the at least one of the header or sill.
The various features and advantages of the disclosed example 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.
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The example bracket 30 includes support arms for supporting the guide rails in desired vertical and horizontal positions at a selected distance away from the hoistway wall 38 and the other guide rails. A car guide rail support arm 45 comprises a plurality of bent sections in this example. A first section 46, a second section 48 and a third section 50 of the bracket 30 are bent relative to each other and the base 40. The first section 46 and the third section 50 are generally perpendicular to the second section 48 and the surface 42 of the base 40. The second section 48 includes a surface against which the car guide rail 24 is received and held in place using clips 52. In the illustrated example, threaded members such as bolts are used to hold the clips 52 in place for securing the corresponding portion of the car guide rail 24 against the car guide rail support arm 45.
The car guide rail support arm 45 is near one end 54 of the bracket 30. In one example the sections 46, 48 and 50 are established by bending a metal plate into the configuration shown in the illustrations. In this example, the car guide rail support arm 45 is a part of the same, single piece of material as the base 40.
Another section 56 of the bracket 30 is generally perpendicular to the surface 42 of the base 40. The section 56 establishes a counterweight guide rail support arm. One of the counterweight guide rails 28 is received against a surface on the section 56 and held in place by clips 60 and corresponding threaded fasteners.
In one example, the section 56 is established by bending the material of the bracket 30 near the second end 58. The illustrated example includes a reinforcing member 62 between the section 56 and the base 40 to maintain a desired alignment between them.
In one example, the base 40, the section 56 establishing the counterweight guide rail support arm and the sections 46, 48 and 50 establishing the car guide rail support arm are all formed from a single piece of material. In the illustrated example, that single piece of material comprises a metal plate.
Another counterweight guide rail support arm 64 is provided between the third section 50 and the section 56 of the bracket 30. In this example, the counterweight guide rail support arm 64 comprises a separate piece of material secured to the base 40. In one example, the counterweight guide rail support arm 64 has a portion that is welded to the base 40 of the bracket 30.
In the illustrated example, the car guide rail arm surface 48 is parallel to the base 40 and the hoistway wall 38. The rail receiving surfaces of the counterweight guide rail support arms 56 and 64 are perpendicular to the base 40 and the hoistway wall 38.
Utilizing a bracket such as the example bracket 30 facilitates various economies when installing guide rails within an elevator system. One feature is that there are less component pieces for an installer to handle during installation. The integrated bracket is lighter and easier to install compared to the conventional multiplicity of individual brackets. There are fewer alignment issues presented when using the example bracket 30. Further, the desired spacing between the guide rails remains consistent along the length of the hoistway, which reduces alignment adjustments. Having a preset distance between the guide rail support arms automatically establishes the spacing of the corresponding portions of the guide rails at the location of each bracket.
For example, instead of three individual alignment wires, a single alignment of the car guide rail (or one of the counterweight rails) provides placement of all three guide rails because the bracket 30 controls the position of all three based on the position of at least one of the three. Having the bracket 30 pre-dimensioned and accurately manufactured, therefore simplifies the installation process.
In some examples, the bracket 30 will have on end that is configured to be connected or placed against an attachment point on the door frame structures at the landings. This arrangement provides accurate front-to-back dimensioning if the door frame structures are appropriately aligned. In such an example, all three guide rails associated with the bracket 30 could be installed without requiring any hanging, alignment wires.
It is possible to have different strengths and material thicknesses for the support arms. For example, the counterweight rail support arms 56 and 64 may be less rigid than the car guide rail support arm 45. There is no concern of reaction of car safeties on the counterweight guide rails 28. The support arms 56 and 64, therefore, do not need to have the same ability to withstand any lateral forces otherwise introduced by a safety-induced stop of the elevator car 22.
Additionally, having three rails supported by the single bracket 30 structure provides reinforcement and load sharing properties. If each rail were supported independently using individual brackets, the car rail brackets experience the entirety of any such lateral force. With the integrated bracket design, the combined shear strength of the entire bracket resists the force associated with a safety stop.
Another feature of the integrated bracket design is that it provides a more stable base when a machine is mounted on a support that rests on one or more of the guide rails. With all three guide rails supported by the single bracket and the distribution of loads across the bracket, the stability of the base upon which the machine is supported is increased.
The bracket 30 also introduces additional options for elevator system configuration in a hoistway as the bracket facilitates utilizing a smaller sized counterweight that fits between the car guide rail 24 and the front wall 34 of the hoistway.
At least one of the door frame members supports at least one guide rail bracket 30. In the illustration, each jamb 96 supports a guide rail bracket 30. The illustration includes four guide rail brackets 30A, 30B, 30C and 30D. In one example, the guide rail brackets 30B and 30D are configured like the example shown in
The guide rail brackets 30 are each moveable relative to the door frame members between a handling position and a deployed position. The guide rail brackets 30A, 30B and 30C are shown in an example handling position. In one example, the handling position is used for shipping, storage and initial installation of the door frames 90. The guide rail brackets 30 are generally parallel to at least one of the header 92 or the sill 94 when they are in the handling position. If the door frames 90 are positioned as shown in
As can be appreciated from drawings, the guide rail bracket can include various portions arranged at various angles relative to each other. In the example handling position, at least the base 40 of the guide rail bracket is generally parallel to at least one of the header 92 or the sill 94. As can be appreciated from the drawings, in some examples base 40 is the longest portion of the guide rail bracket.
In the example handling positions, the base 40 of each guide rail bracket 30 may be at an oblique angle relative to the header 92 or sill 94 and still be considered generally parallel to the header 92 or sill 94. In one example any angular alignment less than 25 degrees is considered generally parallel.
In the illustration, the guide rail 30D is shown in the deployed position.
In this example, the guide rail brackets 30 are generally perpendicular to at least one of the header 92 or sill 94 when in the deployed position. In the example, deployed position, the base of each guide rail bracket is generally aligned with (e.g., parallel to) a corresponding lateral wall of the hoistway. The term “generally perpendicular” used in this description does not require an exact 90 degree alignment between the relevant components. An oblique angle between 75 degrees and 105 degrees is considered generally perpendicular in one example.
The guide rail bracket 30D is shown already moved from a handling position (shown in phantom) to the deployed position. In that position, the guide rail bracket 30D is generally parallel to the lateral wall 38. The deployed position of the guide rail bracket 30B is shown at 30B′ (in phantom).
There are a variety of ways of supporting the guide rail brackets 30 to be moveable relative to the door frame members. In the illustrated example, the guide rail brackets are pivotally moveable relative to the door frame members. Moveable connectors 100 are used in one example to secure one end of each guide rail bracket relative to the associated door frame member. The moveable connectors 100 facilitate moving the guide rail brackets 30 between the handling position and the deployed position as shown by the arrows 102 in
With the illustrated arrangement, once the door frames 90 are aligned with the hoistway and each other, the placement of the guide rails 24 and 28 is already determined once the guide rail brackets are moved from the handling position to the deployed position. This enhances economies associated with elevator system installation. Once the door frames are set, the task of installing the guide rails 24 and 28 is greatly simplified because the position of each rail supporting portion of the guide rail brackets is controlled by the configuration of the guide rail bracket and its relationship with the door frame.
In one example, at least one of the guide rail brackets on each side of the elevator car 22 is secured to the associated door frame 90 and the adjacent lateral wall in the hoistway while others are not secured to the lateral walls. Whether a guide rail bracket is received against and secured to an adjacent hoistway wall depends, in part, on a distance between the associated door frame member and that hoistway wall, a position of the guide rail bracket relative to the door frame and a configuration of the guide rail bracket. Eliminating a requirement for securing at least some of the guide rail brackets directly to a lateral wall can further reduce the costs associated with installing an elevator system.
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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 |
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PCT/US2009/037091 | 3/13/2009 | WO | 00 | 8/16/2011 |