The present invention relates to an elevator apparatus in which a car is made to perform an emergency stop when there is an abnormality such as breakage of a suspending means or failure of a controlling apparatus, for example.
In conventional elevator apparatus speed governors, a first overspeed Vos (an activating speed of an operation stopping switch) is set to approximately 1.3 times a rated speed Vo, and a second overspeed Vtr (a safety activating speed) is set to approximately 1.4 times the rated speed Vo. If it is detected that the car has exceeded the rated speed and reached the first overspeed Vos due to an abnormality in the controlling apparatus, for example, power supply to a hoisting machine is interrupted to stop the car urgently. If the car is falling due to breakage of the main rope, etc., the second overspeed Vtr is detected by the speed governor, and a safety device is activated to make the car perform an emergency stop.
However, if the car is positioned in a vicinity of an end terminal floor of a hoistway, the car may reach a bottom portion of the hoistway before the car speed increases to the first overspeed Vos and the second overspeed Vtr, and in that case the car is decelerated and stopped by a buffer. For this purpose, the buffer requires a longer buffering stroke as the speed that must be decelerated increases, and the length of the buffer is determined by the first overspeed Vos and the second overspeed Vtr.
In answer to that, a method has also been proposed in which a car position switch is disposed in a vicinity of the end terminal floor to detect an abnormality at a terminal overspeed Vts that is lower than the first overspeed Vos when the car position switch is operated, and shut off the power supply to the hoisting machine.
Thus, provided that the main rope is still connected to the car, the car speed will not exceed the terminal overspeed Vts. If, on the other hand, the main rope breaks when the car is positioned in a vicinity of a lower end terminal floor of the hoistway, it is not possible to brake the car using the hoisting machine even if the terminal overspeed Vts is detected.
In that case, if Ts is the time from when the main rope breaks until the car collides with the buffer, then the impact speed Vs is:
Vs=Vts+g×Ts.
If this impact speed Vs is lower than the second overspeed Vtr of the speed governor, then it is possible to shorten the buffering stroke of the buffer proportionately.
However, in recent years, there is demand for additional space saving and cost saving, and there has been demand for buffer dimensions to be shortened further, and speed governors have been proposed in which the first overspeed Vos and the second overspeed Vtr are reduced in the vicinity of end terminal floors (see Patent Literature 1 and 2, for example).
[Patent Literature 1]
In conventional elevator apparatuses such as those described above, the construction of the speed governors becomes complicated in order to lower the first overspeed Vos and the second overspeed Vtr in the vicinity of the end terminal floors.
The present invention aims to solve the above problems and an object of the present invention is to provide an elevator apparatus that enables space saving in a hoistway by a simple configuration.
In order to achieve the above object, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an elevator apparatus including: a car; a suspending means that suspends the car; a driving apparatus that raises and lowers the car by means of the suspending means; a braking apparatus that brakes the car; and an abnormal acceleration detecting mechanism that operates the braking apparatus to stop the car if acceleration that exceeds a preset set value arises in the car.
In an elevator apparatus according to the present invention, because the braking apparatus is operated by the abnormal acceleration detecting mechanism if acceleration that exceeds a preset set value arises in the car, space saving can be achieved in a hoistway by a simple configuration without complicating construction of a speed governor.
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be explained with reference to the drawings.
The hoisting machine brake has: a brake wheel (a drum or a disk) that is coupled coaxially to the driving sheave 6; a brake shoe that is placed in contact with and separated from the brake wheel; a brake spring that presses the brake shoe against the brake wheel to apply a braking force; and an electromagnet that separates the brake shoe from the brake wheel in opposition to the brake spring to release the braking force.
A suspending means 7 is wound around the driving sheave 6 and the deflecting sheave 4. A plurality of ropes or a plurality of belts are used as the suspending means 7. A car 8 is connected to a first end portion of the suspending means 7. A counterweight 9 is connected to a second end portion of the suspending means 7.
The car 8 and the counterweight 9 are suspended inside the hoistway 1 by the suspending means 7, and are raised and lowered inside the hoistway 1 by the hoisting machine 3. The controlling apparatus 5 raises and lowers the car 8 at a set speed by controlling rotation of the hoisting machine 3.
A pair of car guide rails 10 that guide raising and lowering of the car 8 and a pair of counterweight guide rails 11 that raising and lowering of the counterweight 9 are installed inside the hoistway 1. A car buffer 12 that buffers collision of the car 8 into a hoistway bottom portion, and a counterweight buffer 13 that buffers collision of the counterweight 9 into the hoistway bottom portion are installed on the bottom portion of the hoistway 1.
A plurality of (in this case, three) upper car position switches 14 are disposed so as to be spaced apart from each other vertically in a vicinity of an upper end terminal floor of the hoistway 1. A plurality of (in this case, three) lower car position switches 15 are disposed so as to be spaced apart from each other vertically in a vicinity of a lower end terminal floor of the hoistway 1.
A cam (an operating member) 16 that operates the car position switches 14 and 15 is mounted onto the car 8. The upper car position switches 14 are operated by the cam 16 when the car 8 reaches the vicinity of the upper end terminal floor. The lower car position switches 15 are operated by the cam 16 when the car 8 reaches the vicinity of the lower end terminal floor.
A safety device 17 that functions as a braking apparatus that makes the car 8 perform an emergency stop by engaging with the car guide rail 10 is mounted onto a lower portion of the car 8. A gradual safety, as shown in
A speed governor 19 that detects an overspeed (an abnormal speed) of the car 8 is installed in the machine room 2. The speed governor 19 has a speed governor sheave, an overspeed detecting switch, a rope catch, etc. An endless speed governor rope 20 is wound around the speed governor sheave. The speed governor rope 20 is set up in a loop inside the hoistway 1. The speed governor rope 20 is wound around a tensioning sheave 21 that is disposed in a lower portion of the hoistway 1.
The speed governor rope 20 is connected to the actuating lever 18. Thus, the speed governor rope 20 is cycled when the car 8 is raised and lowered to rotate the speed governor sheave at a rotational speed that corresponds to the running speed of the car 8. A mass 22 according to Embodiment 1 is constituted by the speed governor 19, the speed governor rope 20, and the tensioning sheave 21.
The running speed of the car 8 reaching the overspeed is detected mechanically by the speed governor 19. A first overspeed Vos that is higher than a rated speed Vo and a second overspeed Vtr that is higher than the first overspeed are set as detected overspeeds.
The overspeed detecting switch is operated if the running speed of the car 3 reaches the first overspeed Vos. When the overspeed detecting switch is operated, power supply to the hoisting machine 3 is interrupted to stop the car 8 urgently using the hoisting machine brake.
If the descent speed of the car 8 reaches the second overspeed Vtr, the speed governor rope 20 is gripped by the rope catch to stop the cycling of the speed governor rope 20. When the cycling of the speed governor rope 20 is stopped, the actuating lever 18 is operated, and the car 8 is made to perform an emergency stop by the safety device 17.
The actuating lever 18 is pivoted counterclockwise (lifted) as shown in
The mass of the speed governor rope 20 is Mr (kg), the inertial mass of the speed governor 19 at the diameter around which the speed governor rope 20 is wound is Mg (kg), and the inertial mass of the tensioning sheave 21 at the diameter around which the speed governor rope 20 is wound is Mh (kg). That is, the inertial mass Mt (kg) of the mass 22 at the position of the actuating lever 18 is:
Mt=Mr+Mg+Mh.
Now, if the suspending means 7 breaks and the car 8 accelerates at an acceleration g (m/s2), then the car 8 is subjected to an inertial force Fp (N) from the mass 22 that has a magnitude of:
Fp=Mt×g (1)
upward at the actuating lever 18. The safety device 17 is activated when this inertial force Fp (N) exceeds a force Fs (N) that is required to activate the safety device 17:
Fs<Mt×g (2).
Consequently, by adjusting the force Fs (N) that is required to activate the safety device 17 and the inertial mass Mt (kg) of the mass 22, it becomes possible to activate the safety device 17 if the suspending means 7 breaks and the car 8 falls, even if the speed governor 19 does not detect the second overspeed Vtr.
If the car 8 free-falls due to breakage of the suspending means 7, and the acceleration of the car 8 exceeds a set value, the above inertial force Fp exceeds Fs, and the safety device 17 is activated by the abnormal acceleration detecting mechanism. When the abnormal acceleration that is detected by this abnormal acceleration detecting mechanism is substituted, the abnormality detection speed becomes overspeed Vi in
If the suspending means 7 breaks when the speed of the car 8 is zero, then the safety device 17 is activated by the inertial force of the mass 22 when the speed of the car 8 reaches Vio. The force Fs that is required to activate the safety device 17 and the inertial mass Mt of the mass 22 are adjusted such that this Vio is less than the “g×Ts” that was explained in the background art.
Consequently, the speed at which the car 8 collides with the car buffer 12 when there is an abnormality is the terminal overspeed Vts if the suspending means 7 is connected to the car 8, and a maximum of Vts+Vio if the suspending means 7 breaks, enabling speed to be reduced compared to the impact speed Vts+g×Ts onto the car buffer 12 that was explained in the background art.
Because the speed at which emergency braking is performed on the car 8 due to detection of abnormal acceleration can thereby be reduced compared to the abnormal speed that is detected by the speed governor 19, the buffering stroke of the car buffer 12 can be shortened, enabling costs of the car buffer 12 to be reduced. The dimensions in the bottom portion of the hoistway 1 for installing the car buffer 12 can also be shortened. In other words, space saving can be achieved in the hoistway 1 by a simple configuration without complicating the construction of the speed governor 19.
It is possible to set Vio to any magnitude by further adjusting the force Fs (N) that is required to activate the safety device 17 and the inertial mass Mt (kg) of the mass 22.
Methods for adjusting the inertial mass Mt of the mass 22 to an appropriate magnitude will now be explained.
As shown in
In addition, in Embodiment 1, the car 8 can be stopped when the first overspeed is detected by the speed governor 19, and the safety device 17 can be activated conventionally using this speed governor 19 and speed governor rope 20 as the mass 22 during falling of the car 8. Because of that, a separate mass is not required, enabling system configuration to be simplified.
Next,
A length from a pivoting center of the actuating lever 18 to a mounted position of a speed governor rope 20 is Lr (m), and a length to a center of gravity of the weight 26 is Lm (m). Inertial mass Mt (kg) of a speed governor 19, the speed governor rope 20, and a tensioning sheave 21 are extremely small compared to the mass Mm (kg) of the weight 26. The rest of the configuration is similar or identical to that of Embodiment 1.
Now, if the suspending means 7 breaks and the car 8 accelerates at an acceleration g (m/s2), then the car 8 is subjected to an inertial force Fq (N) that has a magnitude of:
Fq=Mm×(Lm/Lr)×g (3)
upward from the weight 26 at the mounted position of the speed governor rope 20 on the actuating lever 18.
If this inertial force Fq (N) exceeds the force Fs (N) that is required to activate the safety device 17,
Fs<Mm×(Lm/Lr)×g (4),
then the actuating lever 18 is pivoted counterclockwise as shown in
Thus, by adjusting the force Fs (N) that is required to activate the safety device 17, the mass Mm (kg) of the weight 26, the mounted position Lm (m) of the weight 26, etc., it becomes possible to activate the safety device 17 if the suspending means 7 breaks and the car 8 free-falls, even if the speed governor 19 does not detect the second overspeed Vtr. Consequently, space saving can be achieved in the hoistway 1 by a simple configuration without complicating the construction of the speed governor 19.
Moreover, in Embodiment 2, a case is shown in which the weight 26 is mounted to the actuating lever 18 to which the speed governor rope 20 is mounted, but operation is similar even if the speed governor rope 20 is not mounted.
In Embodiment 2, the inertial mass Mt is extremely small compared to the mass Mm, but the inertial mass Mt may also be enlarged to a certain extent, and the set value of the abnormal acceleration adjusted by combining the mass 22 according to Embodiment 1 and the weight 26 according to Embodiment 2.
In addition, the torsion spring 23 may also be omitted from the configuration according to Embodiment 2.
Next,
The weight 28 is linked to the actuating lever 18 by means of a linking rod (a linking body) 29. Inertial mass Mt (kg) of a speed governor 19, a speed governor rope 20, and a tensioning sheave 21 is extremely small compared to the mass Mm (kg) of the weight 28. An abnormal acceleration detecting mechanism according to Embodiment 3 includes a torsion spring 23 and the weight 28. The rest of the configuration is similar or identical to that of Embodiment 1.
In an elevator apparatus of this kind, if the car 8 free-falls due to breakage of the suspending means 7, then the weight 28 applies an upward inertial force to the actuating lever 18 by means of the linking rod 29, as shown in
Thus, by adjusting the force Fs (N) that is required to activate the safety device 17, the mass Mm (kg) of the weight 28, etc., it becomes possible to activate the safety device 17 if the suspending means 7 breaks and the car 8 falls, even if the speed governor 19 does not detect the second overspeed Vtr. Consequently, space saving can be achieved in the hoistway 1 by a simple configuration without complicating the construction of the speed governor 19.
Moreover, in Embodiment 3, a case is shown in which the weight 28 is mounted to the actuating lever 18 to which the speed governor rope 20 is mounted, but operation is similar even if the speed governor rope 20 is not mounted.
In Embodiment 3, the inertial mass Mt is extremely small compared to the mass Mm, but the inertial mass Mt may also be enlarged to a certain extent, and the set value of the abnormal acceleration adjusted by combining the mass 22 according to Embodiment 1 and the weight 28 according to Embodiment 3.
In addition, it is also possible to use the weight 28 according to Embodiment 3 and the weight 26 according to Embodiment 2 in combination.
Furthermore, because the force Fs that is required to activate the safety device 17 is adjusted, the torsion spring 23 can also be disposed or omitted in a similar or identical manner to that of Embodiment 2.
Next,
An acceleration sensor is disposed on the acceleration detecting portion 32, and an operating command signal is output to the actuator 31 when acceleration of the car 8 exceeds a preset set value. The actuator 31 pivots the actuating lever 18 to activate the safety device 17 when the operating command signal is received. An abnormal acceleration detecting mechanism according to Embodiment 4 includes the actuator 31, the acceleration detecting portion 32, and the signal wire 33. Overall configuration of the elevator apparatus is similar or identical to that of Embodiment 1.
The set value of the acceleration in the acceleration detecting portion 32 is less than or equal to acceleration g (9.8 m/s2) of the car 8 during falling due to breakage of the suspending means 7. Thus, if the suspending means 7 breaks and the car 8 accelerates at gravitational acceleration, the safety apparatus 17 can be activated by moving the actuator 31 as shown in
The set value of the acceleration in the acceleration detecting portion 32 is set to a value that is higher than acceleration during normal operation such that rapid acceleration of the car 8 due to an abnormality in the controlling apparatus 5 can also be detected, and is also set to a value that is higher than deceleration rate when performing urgent stopping (also known as an “E-Stop”) due to a power outage during ascent of the car 8. Moreover, such abnormality detecting acceleration control settings can also be applied to Embodiments 1 through 3.
Using an elevator apparatus of this kind, it also becomes possible to activate the safety device 17 if the suspending means 7 breaks and the car 8 free-falls, even if the speed governor 19 does not detect the second overspeed Vtr. Consequently, space saving can be achieved in the hoistway 1 by a simple configuration without complicating the construction of the speed governor 19.
Moreover, in Embodiment 4, the acceleration detecting portion 32 is mounted onto the frame body of the safety device 17, but may also be mounted onto the car 8 or other equipment, etc., that is fixed to the car 8.
In Embodiments 1 and 2, a torsion spring 23 is used in order to adjust the force Fs that is required to activate the safety device 17, but a spring, etc., does not necessarily have to be added, provided that an adequate force Fs can be achieved and, if added, is not limited to a torsion spring.
In addition, in Embodiments 1 through 4, the safety device 17 is a braking apparatus that is operated by an abnormal acceleration detecting mechanism, but is not limited thereto.
Furthermore, in
The present invention can also be applied to machine-roomless elevators that do not have a machine room 2, or to various other types of elevator apparatus, etc.
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