Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6364067
-
Patent Number
6,364,067
-
Date Filed
Wednesday, September 20, 200023 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, April 2, 200222 years ago
-
Inventors
-
Original Assignees
-
Examiners
- Lillis; Eileen D.
- Tran; Thuy V.
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 187 406
- 187 407
- 187 408
- 187 411
- 187 414
- 187 900
- 052 30
- 052 7452
- 029 429
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
An elevator system includes a hoistway that extends upwardly from a pit area to an upper hoistway area. A support plate extends across a lateral width of the hoistway and is mounted between a machine base and a guide rail assembly. A hoist tool is mounted within the hoistway near the upper hoistway area for lifting the machine base and rail assembly upwardly through the hoistway from the pit area to the top of the hoistway. The hoist tool supports a first set of pulleys and the support plate supports a second set of pulleys. A cable is threaded through the first and second sets of pulleys and is connected to a hoist machine for lifting the machine base and guide rail assembly to an installation position in the upper hoistway area via the hoist tool and pulley system.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an apparatus and method for installing elevator components with a hoistway that utilizes a unique hoist tool and pulley system.
Elevators are used to transport passengers and cargo between levels in buildings. An elevator typically includes a cab that is movable along guide rails that are mounted within a hoistway. A motor and pulley arrangement, known as the machine, is mounted near the top of the hoistway, and drives a cable to move the elevator cab upwardly or downwardly in combination with a counterweight. Historically, the machine is mounted in a machine room above the hoistway. Before the cab can be installed in the hoistway, the machine components and the guide rails must be installed. Typically, the machine is supported on a base that must be lifted from a pit area at the bottom of the hoistway to an upper mounting location in the machine room.
The guide rails also have to be installed within the hoistway before the cab can be installed and must be lifted from the pit to the upper areas of the hoistway. Usually, the machine components and guide rails are assembled in the pit area and lifted with a hoist tool. Once the components are in place fasteners or other mounting methods are used to secure the components in place. The hoist tool is typically left in or near the machine room, in case it ever becomes necessary to move the machine back downwardly for replacement or repair. This is undesirable because additional space is required for the hoist tool. Additionally, a worker must be positioned within the hoistway to guide the components and rails to the proper locations, which is also undesirable.
This invention includes an improved hoisting method that utilizes an improved hoist tool and pulley assembly to install the machine components and guide rails within the hoistway without the need for a worker to be positioned within the hoistway and without the need for a separate machine room above the hoistway. Further, the improved hoisting method provides a hoist tool that allows rapid coupling and decoupling of the machine from the corresponding mounts for service and repair.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In general terms, this invention is an elevator system having a unique installation arrangement that facilitates assembling and repairing components of the system while also eliminating the need for a separate machine room. An elevator system designed according to this invention includes a hoistway having a longitudinal length, a lateral width, and a lateral depth. The longitudinal length extends from a pit area to an upper hoistway area. A machine base extends through the lateral depth. A rail assembly extends along the longitudinal length of the hoistway to guide an elevator cab upwardly and downwardly within the hoistway. A support plate is mounted between the machine base and the rail assembly. A hoist tool is mounted within the hoistway near the upper hoistway area for lifting the machine base and rail assembly upwardly through the hoistway from the pit area to a mounting location near the top of the hoistway.
In a disclosed embodiment, the hoist tool includes a first set of pulleys mounted to the hoist tool and a second set of pulleys mounted to the support plate. A hoist machine is interconnected to the first and second sets of pulleys via a cable wherein the hoist machine lifts the machine base and a guide rail assembly upwardly through the hoistway from the pit area to an upper position within the hoistway. The pulleys in the first set of pulleys are separated from each other by a greater distance than the distance between the pulleys of the second set. This allows the second set of pulleys to be positioned between the first set of pulleys when the machine base is lifted to a maximum installation height to automatically align the machine base and rail assembly within the hoistway.
A method for lifting a machine base and guide rail assembly through a hoistway to a mount location in an elevator assembly includes the following steps. A hoist tool is mounted adjacent to an upper end of a hoistway and has a first set of pulleys. A plate is mounted between the machine base and the guide rail assembly with a second set of pulleys. A cable is threaded around the first and second sets of pulleys. The cable is connected to a hoist machine and a hoist tool is used to lift the machine base and guide rail assembly through the hoistway from a pit area to a mount location near the upper end of the hoistway.
The various features and advantages of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the currently preferred embodiment. The drawings that accompany the detailed description can be briefly described as follows.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1
is a perspective view of an elevator system.
FIG. 2
is schematic view of the inventive hoist tool and pulley system for installing elevator components within a hoistway, shown in a first position.
FIG. 3
is a view like
FIG. 2
but shown in a second position at a maximum installation height.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
FIG. 1
illustrates an elevator system
10
that generally includes a cab
12
installed in an elevator hoistway
14
in a known manner such that it is movable between floors in a building structure. A counterweight
18
balances the cab
12
in a typical manner. One portion of a rope or cable
20
is attached to the cab
12
while another portion is attached to the counterweight
18
. The rope
20
is engaged by a machine assembly
22
located at the top of the hoistway
14
to move the cab
12
. The unique configuration of this elevator system
10
allows elevator components that have traditionally been mounted in a machine room above the hoistway
14
to be mounted within the hoistway itself. Thus, components such as a hoist machine
26
, governor
28
, and car controller
30
are all mounted in an upper hoistway area
24
to perform standard functions as known in the art.
Elevator shaft sidewalls
32
enclose the hoistway
14
. In one embodiment, shown in
FIG. 1
, the elevator cab
12
rides along guide rails
34
that extend vertically along the hoistway
14
. The hoistway
14
has a longitudinal length, a lateral width, and a lateral depth. The longitudinal length extends upwardly (according to the drawing) from a pit area
36
to the upper hoistway area
24
.
Before the cab
12
can be installed in the hoistway
14
, the machine assembly components
22
and the guide rails
34
must be installed. Typically, the machine assembly
22
is supported on a base
40
, shown in
FIG. 2
, that must be lifted from the pit area
36
at the bottom of the hoistway
14
to an upper mounting location in the hoistway
14
. The machine base
40
preferably extends across the lateral depth of the hoistway
14
.
A support plate
42
is mounted between the machine base
40
and a portion of the guide rail assembly
34
. A hoist tool
44
is mounted within the hoistway
14
near the upper hoistway area
24
for lifting the machine base
40
and rail assembly
34
upwardly through the hoistway
14
from the pit area
36
to the upper mounting location in the hoistway
14
.
The hoist tool
44
extends across the lateral depth of the hoistway
14
and includes a first set of pulleys
46
interconnected to a second set of pulleys
48
which are mounted to the support plate
42
, via a hoist cable
50
. While two (2) pulleys at each location are preferred, it should be understood that additional pulleys could be used to improve stability. The hoist cable
50
is driven by a hoist machine
52
to lift the machine base
40
and rail assembly
34
. The hoist machine
52
is preferably a temporary hoist machine mounted near the top of the hoistway
14
for initial installation of the various elevator system components. The temporary hoist machine
52
is used to lift the permanent hoist machine
26
to the installation position in the upper hoistway area
24
via the machine base
40
.
The pulleys
46
a,
46
b
in the first set of pulleys
46
are spaced apart from one another by a first distance D
1
and the pulleys
48
a,
48
b
of the second set of pulleys
48
are spaced apart from one another by a second distance D
2
that is less than the first distance D
1
. This allows the second set of pulleys
48
to be positioned between the first set of pulleys
46
when the machine base
40
is lifted to a maximum installation height (see FIG.
3
). Thus, the machine base
40
is automatically and properly aligned within the hoistway
14
without the need for a worker to be positioned within the hoistway
14
.
A guide pulley
54
is also mounted on the hoist tool
44
and is positioned between the hoist machine
52
and the first set of pulleys
46
. The hoist cable
50
extends from the hoist machine
52
to the guide pulley
54
, to one pulley
46
a
of the first set of pulleys
46
, to one pulley
48
a
of the second set of pulleys
48
, to the other pulley
48
b
of the second set of pulleys
48
, and then to the other pulley
46
b
of the first set of pulleys
46
. The hoist machine
52
actuates the cable
50
by pulling or releasing the cable
50
around the pulleys
46
,
48
to position the machine base
40
and rail assembly
34
at the proper installation position in the hoistway
14
.
The hoist tool
44
includes a first portion
60
extending across the lateral depth of the hoistway
14
and a second portion
62
that extends downwardly in a longitudinal direction from the first portion
60
. The first set of pulleys
46
is supported on the first portion
60
and the guide pulley
54
is supported on the second portion
62
. The hoist machine
52
is also preferably positioned adjacent to the second portion
62
and below the first portion
60
.
In the preferred embodiment, the guide pulley
54
is mounted on the hoist tool
44
at a vertically lower position within the hoistway
14
than the first set of pulleys
46
and at a vertically higher position within the hoistway
14
than the second set of pulleys
48
.
The inventive method for lifting the machine base
40
and guide rail assembly
34
through the hoistway
14
to a mount location in an elevator assembly
10
includes the following steps. The hoist tool
44
is mounted adjacent to an upper end of the hoistway
14
and has the first set of pulleys
46
spaced longitudinally from each other along the first portion
60
of the tool
44
. The plate
42
is mounted between the machine base
40
and the guide rail assembly
34
has the second set of pulleys
48
spaced longitudinally from each other along the plate
42
. The hoist cable
50
is threaded through the first
46
and second
48
sets of pulleys. The cable
50
is connected to a hoist machine
52
and the hoist tool
44
is used to lift the machine base
40
and guide rail assembly
34
through the hoistway
14
from the pit area
36
to a mount location near the upper hoistway area
24
.
Additional steps include threading the hoist cable
50
through a guide pulley mounted to the second portion
62
of the hoist tool
44
before threading the cable through the first pulley. The second set of pulleys
48
are then lifted to a maximum installation height at a position between the first set of pulleys
46
to automatically align the machine base
40
within the hoistway
14
. A bracket
66
or other connection support is then used to secure the machine base
40
and guide rail assembly
34
to the wall
32
of the hoistway
14
as is known in the art.
This unique hoisting method and apparatus reduces the installed cost of an elevator by simplifying the installation process and thereby reducing installation hours. Additionally, the method and apparatus enables decoupling and rapid removal of the machine from its corresponding mounts during service or repair operations. Another benefit is that the method and apparatus provides safe hoisting of the machine assembly
22
without a requirement for a worker to be positioned in the hoistway
14
for guiding purposes and eliminates the need for a separate machine room.
By integrating the support plate
42
between the machine base
40
and rail assembly
34
the lifting plane is moved closer to the center of gravity than if the components were lifted from under the entire machine assembly. Preferably, the plate
42
includes two (2) pulleys
48
situated at each end to achieve 2:1 hoisting capability. The pulleys
48
positioned at each end of the plate
42
facilitate 2:1 hoisting of the machine assembly during construction by using a matching set of pulleys
46
positioned on an overhead hoist tool
44
. The 2:1 hoisting ratio allows the lifting of the heavy components with less effort.
The machine assembly
22
is provided with the plate
42
attached to the machine
22
and bolted to the mount. During removal of the machine
22
, the plate
42
is unbolted from the wall
32
or rail
34
mount and the machine
22
is removed using the same 2:1 system used during installation.
The foregoing description is exemplary rather than limiting in nature. Many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. The preferred embodiments of this invention have been disclosed, however, one of ordinary skill in the art may recognize that certain modifications are possible that would come within the scope of this invention. It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described. For that reason the following claims should be studied to determine the true scope of protection given for this invention.
Claims
- 1. An elevator system comprising:a hoistway having a longitudinal length, a lateral width, and a lateral depth, said longitudinal length extending upwardly from a pit area to an upper hoistway area; a machine base extending across at least a portion of said lateral depth; a rail assembly extending along said longitudinal length for guiding an elevator cab within said hoistway; a support plate mounted between said machine base and said rail assembly; and a hoist tool mounted within said upper hoistway area for lifting said machine base and rail assembly upwardly through said hoistway from said pit area to a mounting location within said upper hoistway area.
- 2. The elevator system as recited in claim 1, wherein said hoist tool extends across at least a portion of said lateral depth and includes a first plurality of pulleys, a second plurality of pulleys which are mounted to said support plate, and a hoist cable that is supported by said first and second plurality of pulleys wherein said hoist cable is driven by a hoist machine to lift said machine base and rail assembly.
- 3. The elevator system as recited in claim 1, wherein said hoist tool includes a system of pulleys comprised of a first set of at least two pulleys mounted to said hoist tool and spaced apart from one another by a first distance and a second set of at least two pulleys mounted to said support plate and spaced apart from one another by a second distance that is less than said first distance.
- 4. The elevator system as recited in claim 3, wherein said second set of pulleys are positioned between said first set of pulleys when said machine base is lifted to a maximum installation height to automatically align said machine base and rail assembly within said hoistway.
- 5. The elevator system as recited in claim 3, including a guide pulley and a cable interconnecting said guide pulley and said first and second sets of pulleys to a hoist machine wherein said hoist machine actuates said cable to lift said machine base and rail assembly.
- 6. The elevator system as recited in claim 5, wherein said hoist tool includes a first portion extending across at least a portion of said lateral depth and a second portion extending downwardly in a longitudinal direction from said first portion, said first set of pulleys being supported on said first portion and said guide pulley being supported on said second portion.
- 7. The elevator system as recited in claim 5, wherein said guide pulley is mounted on said hoist tool at a vertically lower position within said hoistway than said first set of pulleys and at a vertically higher position within said hoistway than said second set of pulleys.
- 8. An elevator system comprising:a hoistway extending upwardly from a pit area to an upper hoistway area; a hoist tool mounted within said upper hoistway area; a first set of at least two pulleys mounted to said hoist tool; a second set of at least two pulleys mounted to a plate positioned between a machine base and a guide rail assembly; and a hoist machine interconnected to said first and second sets of pulleys via a cable wherein said hoist machine lifts said machine base and said guide rail assembly upwardly through said hoistway from said pit area to a mounting location within said upper hoistway area.
- 9. The elevator system as recited in claim 8, wherein said second set of pulleys are positioned between said first set of pulleys when said machine base is lifted to a maximum installation height to automatically align said machine base and rail assembly within said hoistway.
- 10. A method for lifting a machine base and guide rail assembly through a hoistway to a mount location in an elevator assembly using a hoist tool including a first set of pulleys and a plate mounted between a machine base and a guide rail assembly with a second set of pulleys, including the steps of:(a) positioning the hoist tool mounted adjacent an upper end of the hoistway; (b) threading a cable around the first and second sets of pulleys; (c) connecting the cable to a hoist machine; and (d) utilizing the hoist tool to lift the machine base and guide rail assembly through the hoistway from a pit area to a mount location adjacent to the upper end of the hoistway.
- 11. The method of claim 10, including lifting the second set of pulleys to an installation height at a position between the first set of pulleys to automatically align the machine base within the hoistway and mounting the machine base and guide rail assembly to a wall of the hoistway.
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A |
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Tosato et al. |
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A |
5000292 |
Chapelain et al. |
Mar 1991 |
A |
5033586 |
Richards et al. |
Jul 1991 |
A |
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JP |
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JP |
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JP |
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