DE20119498U1 - Folding support for a machine room-less elevator - Google Patents

Description

• *

GRÜNECKER KINKELDEY STOCKMAIR &"$f:HjAAAN$HÄlSSSBR &iacgr;

LAW FIRM

GKS & S MAXIMILIANSTRASSE 58 D-80538 MUNICH GERMANY

German Patent and Trademark Office

Zweibrückenstr. 12
80297 Munich

LAWYERS UWYERS

MUNICH

DR. HELMUT EICHMANN

GERHARD BARTH

DR. ULRICH BLUMENRÖDER, LLM.

CHRISTA NIKLAS-FALTER

DR. MAXIMILIAN KINKELDEY, LL M.

SONJA SCHAEFFLER

DR. KARSTEN BRANDT

ANJA FRANKE ₁ LLM.

UTE STEPHANI

DR. BERND ALLEKOTTE, LL.M.

DR. ELVIRAPFRANG, LLM.

PATENT ATTORNEYS

EUROPEAN PATENT ATTORNEYS

MUNICH

DR. HERMANN KINKELDEY PETER H. JAKOB WOLFHARD MEISTER HANS HILGERS DR. HENNING MEYER-PLATH ANNELIE EHNOLD THOMAS SCHUSTER DR. KLARA GOLDBACH MARTIN AUFENANGER GOTTFRIED KLITZSCH DR. HEIKE VOGELSANG-WENKE REINHARD KNAUER DIETMAR KUHL DR. FRANZ-JOSEF ZIMMER BETTINA K. REICHELT DR. ANTON K. PFAU OR. UDO WEIGELT RAINER BERTRAM JENS KOCH, M. S. (U of PA) M. S.

BERND ROTHAEMEL DR. DANIELA KINKELDEY DR. MARIA ROSARIO VEGA LASO THOMAS W. UUBENTHAL

PATENT ATTORNEYS

EUROPEAN PATENT ATTORNEYS

BERLIN

PROF. DR. MANFRED BÖNING

DR. PATRICK ERK, M.S. (MIT)*

•PATENT ATTORNEY

COLOGNE

DR. MARTIN DROPMANN

CHEMNITZ MANFRED SCHNEIDER

OF COUNSEL PATENT ATTORNEYS

AUGUST GRÜNECKER DR. GUNTER 8EZ0LD DR. WALTER LANGHOFF

DR. WILFRIED STOCKMAIR 1-1996)

YOUR REF.

OUR REF.

DATE

G 4652 -894/il

30.11.01

Applicant: STAHLBAU PODELWITZ GMBH

INDUSTRIAL AREA IN MITTELFELD 14 04519 HOHENOSSIG

Folding support for a machine room-less elevator

GRÜNEECKER KINKELDEY
STOCKMAIR & SCHWANHÄUSSER^

MAxiMiLiANSTR. 58 :**::!*

D-80538 MUNICH ; · ; *
GERMANY '

PHONE +49 89 2123 50

. FAX (GR 3) _&phgr; + 49 89 22 0£87 .. ·; FAXtiJR^ +$9 89.21 β6?2·9.}· J http.7i$vww!g*}ne<3*$.8e "JJ i

'''e-mail? |bosMaster@3 ^rune f ^er -<&' DEUTSCHE BANK MUNICH No. 17 51734 BLZ 700 700 SWIFT: DEUT DE MM

&iacgr;·

Folding support for a machine room-less elevator

The present invention relates to a folding support for a machine room-less elevator in an elevator shaft.

In elevator construction, so-called "machine room-less" elevators are increasingly favored. These are distinguished from conventional elevators by the fact that the drive machine is housed inside the elevator shaft, so that an additional machine room is not required. The drive machine is also installed in the shaft pit, where it is easily accessible for maintenance work.

During such maintenance or repair work on the drive machine, the person working on the drive machine must be protected from the elevator car hanging above them. The simplest safety measure is to shut down the elevator drive so that the elevator car remains at a safe distance from the shaft pit. However, it must be ensured that the person working is protected even in the event of an operating error or a malfunction of the control system. A device must therefore be provided that prevents the elevator car from entering the shaft pit up to the person's head height. This device must be highly resilient and stable so that it can absorb the momentum of the elevator car and bring it to a standstill even if the elevator car should accidentally move downwards.

In some lifts, the drive machines are so low and the lowest boarding level for the lift car is so deep that, during normal operation of the lift, the height between the shaft floor and the floor of the lift car is less than one person's height when the lift car reaches the lowest boarding level. In such a case, therefore, no fixed devices - such as protective walls - can be present in the shaft pit to prevent the lift car from entering, as these would hinder the operation of the lift and, in particular, prevent it from approaching the lowest boarding level.

The object of the present invention is to provide a device which, on the one hand, provides stable and reliable protection of the working area on the drive machine in the

shaft pit of a machine room-less elevator, but which on the other hand does not hinder the normal operation of the elevator, in particular the approach to the lowest boarding level. In addition, the device should be structurally simple and easy to handle.

These objects are achieved by a folding support having the features of claim 1.

The pivoting folding elements offer the advantage of being able to create two different states of the folding support: a folded state in which the folding support does not hinder the movement of the elevator car, and an unfolded state in which its height is greater than a normal human body size and it defines a working space in the shaft pit in which it reliably prevents the elevator car from entering. The fastening of the base element to the floor of the elevator shaft gives the folding support the necessary stability and, above all, prevents it from slipping under load, as would be possible with alternative temporary structures. The base element and thus also the unfolded folding support are arranged vertically in particular in order to best absorb the forces acting when acted upon by the elevator car.

Preferably, the folding elements can be locked into the adjacent folding or base element in an unfolded state. This gives the folding support improved stability in its unfolded state.

In a variant of the invention, a number of folded upper folding elements can be pivoted together to unfold or fold the folding support. In particular, when unfolding or folding, the lower elements of the folding support are firmly locked together at all times and the upper elements can be moved as a single group. As a result, the elements of the folding support can only be moved about a single pivot axis at any time, which makes the folding support easy to use.

Advantageously, each locking mechanism between two adjacent folding elements or between the lowest folding element and the base element can be released individually.

·· 4

To fold the folding support together, the folding elements arranged above the respective locking mechanism must first be connected to one another to form a unit before the locking mechanism is released. The locking mechanisms arranged further down, i.e. towards the shaft floor, remain locked. This also simplifies the operation of the folding support.

The folding support preferably has two pivotable folding elements. This ensures that the folding support has only two connection points between its elements to achieve a certain height. The connections between two folding elements or between the base element and a folding element are naturally the weakest points of the folding support, so reducing the number of these connection points increases the stability of the folding support.

In a particular embodiment of the invention, the base element and the folding elements each have a cross-section that is open on one side, so that the folding elements that follow upwards are accommodated in the cross-section when folded together. This makes the folding support particularly space-saving when folded together.

Advantageously, the external dimensions of a folding element correspond approximately to the internal dimensions of the folding element or base element adjacent to it in the direction of the base element. This prevents play between adjacent elements in their locked state and increases the stability of the unfolded folding support, as any forces that may occur can be efficiently diverted to the shaft floor.

Preferably, an elastic shock absorber is arranged at the upper end of the folding support, in particular at the end of the uppermost folding element. This has the advantage of slowing down the downward movement of the elevator car when it is subjected to pressure and reducing the peak load on the folding elements and their connection points. This also contributes to increasing stability.

As an advantageous embodiment of the connection between two folding elements or between the base element and the first folding element, this connection is formed by a bolt guided in a slot. This limits the freedom of movement

between adjacent elements on two relative movements: on the one hand, a longitudinal movement of the bolt fixed to an element along the elongated hole, and on the other hand, a pivoting movement of the upper group of folding elements with the bolt as the pivot axis. For example, the bolt can be arranged in an upper section of the base element or the folding elements and the associated elongated hole in a lower section of the folding element adjoining upwards.

Advantageously, when the bolt rests on one end of the corresponding slot, the two adjacent base or folding elements are locked together in their unfolded state, while when the bolt rests on the other end of the slot, they are unlocked and can pivot against each other. This locking design is particularly simple and does not require any additional locking elements. The slot extends primarily lengthways on a folding element. To lock two elements of the folding support, they are simply pushed into each other lengthways until the bolt has reached one end of the slot. In this locked position, the two elements each rest against one another with a section of their walls, which prevents the folding elements from pivoting.

To unlock, the upper folding element or the group of upper folding elements is moved in the direction of the slotted hole out of the lower part of the folding support until the bolt rests against the other end of the slotted hole. In this position, the connection is unlocked and the folding elements can be pivoted against each other.

Preferably, the two adjacent base or folding elements are locked together when the bolt is in contact with the upper end of the corresponding slot, provided that the slot is located on the upper folding element. The weight of the upper folding elements ensures that the bolt is held at the end of the slot. The locking is thus maintained by gravity alone.

In an advantageous embodiment, the elongated holes extend at a small angle of Γ-20°, primarily 5°-15°, in particular 10° to the longitudinal direction of the folding elements. When two elements are guided into one another to lock them together, the upper elements also carry out a lateral movement, which causes a section of the outer wall of the upper folding element to rest against the inner wall of the lower element.

Due to the arrangement of the elongated hole, the weight of the upper folding elements can be partially diverted into a contact pressure between the respective wall sections, which supports the locking effect and significantly improves the stability of the unfolded folding support.

Preferably, two folding elements can be locked together in their folded state and/or in their unfolded state by means of a locking element. By locking them in their folded state, the uppermost folding elements are connected to form a movement unit, with the advantages mentioned above. A releasable lock in their unfolded state secures the folding elements against unlocking.

A folding support is advantageous if at least one of the folding elements has a handle. This makes it easier for the operator to fold the folding support out and in and to carry out the movements required to lock and unlock the folding elements. In particular, all folding elements can have their own handle.

The handles can be retracted into the respective folding element. This means that the folding elements can be folded up in a particularly space-saving manner.

The folding support preferably has a position sensor that registers the fully folded state of the folding support. Using a suitable evaluation unit that is connected to the drive machine or the elevator control system, the operation of the elevator can be prevented as long as the position sensor does not detect that the folding support is fully folded. In this state, the operation of the elevator could be dangerous because, for example, a section of the folding support still protrudes into the path of movement of the elevator car or there is even still a person in the work area in the shaft pit. The operation of the elevator is therefore only released when the position sensor has verified that the folding support is fully folded.

For example, the position sensor can be a safety switch in a lower section of the base element, which is actuated by the contact of a folding element in the base element. By connecting the folding elements above as a unit with the lowest

&bull; *

If the folding element is moved, the operation of the safety switch also means that the upper folding elements are folded together.

The base element can have a base plate for fastening it to the floor of the elevator shaft, by means of which the support surface is larger than the cross-section of the folding support. This improves the stability of the fastening.

Furthermore, the folding support can have a safety device to secure its folded state. This prevents the folding support from being opened accidentally both during transport and during operation of the lift, which would be prevented by the position sensor if it were to open accidentally.

When unfolded, the height of the folding support is greater than a normal human body height. The base element can be higher or as high as the elevator drive machine in order to protect the drive machine from being impacted by the elevator car even when the folding support is folded up.

An advantageous embodiment of a folding support according to the invention is shown below with reference to a drawing. Shown are:

Fig. 1 a-d a side view of an embodiment of a folding support according to the invention, wherein Fig. 1a shows the folding support in its unfolded state and Fig. 1d shows the folding support in its folded state; and

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section through the folding support according to the invention in its

folded state in the plane designated with &Pgr; in Fig. 1d.

The embodiment of a folding support 1 according to the invention for a machine room-less elevator in an elevator shaft shown in Fig. 1 has a vertical base element 5 fastened to the floor of the elevator shaft by means of a base plate 3 and screws 3a, as well as a first, lower folding element 7a and a second, upper folding element 7b.

In Fig. 1a, the folding support 1 is shown in its unfolded state, in which it extends vertically above the floor of the elevator shaft (not shown). Its total height is greater than a normal human body height, primarily 2 meters or more. This height defines a working space in the elevator shaft pit into which the elevator car cannot penetrate. In particular, several folding supports 1 can be provided in the elevator shaft for this purpose.

As shown in Fig. 2 in horizontal section, the folding elements 7a, b and the base element 5 each have a rear wall 9 and two side walls 11 adjoining it at the side. The base or folding elements 5, 7a, b of the folding support 1 therefore have an approximately U-shaped profile that opens to the right in Fig. 1a. The profiles are made of folded sheet metal, in particular of corrosion-protected steel. The distances between the outer sides of the side walls 11 of a folding element 7a, b are slightly smaller than the distances between the inner sides of the side walls 11 of the underlying folding or base element 7a or 5. This makes it possible for a lower section of the lower folding element 7a to be accommodated in the base element 5 when unfolded, with sections of the side and rear walls 11, 9 of the two elements abutting one another. In the same way, a lower section of the upper folding element 7b is accommodated in the lower folding element 7a. At their lower end, the rear walls 9 of the folding elements 7a,b have a recess 8.

To connect the base element 5 and the lower folding element 7a, the base element 5 has a bolt 13 in its upper section, which extends between the side walls 11 and is firmly connected to them. This bolt 13 also extends through two elongated holes 15 in the side walls 11 of the lower folding element 7a. These elongated holes 15 run at a slight angle of a few degrees to the longitudinal direction of the folding element 7a. The angle is selected such that the upper end of the elongated hole 15 is at a greater distance from the rear wall 9 of the folding element 7a than the lower end of the elongated hole 15.

In its upper section, the lower folding element 7a also has a bolt 13, by which it is connected to the upper folding element 7b in the same way. For this purpose, the bolt 13 is guided in an elongated hole 15 in the upper folding element 7b.

·

The folding elements 7a,b are shown locked together in Fig. 1, just as the lower folding element 7a is locked to the base element 5. For this purpose, the bolt 13 is located at the upper end of the corresponding slot 15. Because the rear walls 9 of the corresponding elements 5, 7a,b lie flat against each other, the only possible relative movement of two locked elements 5 and 7a or 7a and 7b is one in which the upper folding element 7a or 7b is guided vertically out of the lower element 5 or 7a. The gravitational force acts against this movement on the respective folding element 7a,b and thus holds it in the locked position.

When unlocking, i.e. during a vertical movement of the respective folding element 7a,b, this also carries out a lateral movement due to the guidance of the bolt 13 in the elongated hole 15 and its inclination described above, which releases the rear walls 9 of the elements 5, 7a,b locked together from one another.

Each folding element 7a,b has a handle 17 in an upper section of its rear wall 9. This consists of a U-shaped bent bar, which is movably accommodated with its two legs 17a in openings in the rear wall 9. The end 17b of the legs has a thickening, for example by a screwed-on nut, the diameter of which is larger than the diameter of the opening receiving the legs 17a. In Fig. 1a, the handles 17 are retracted so far into the folding elements 7a,b that their middle pieces rest against the rear walls 9 of the folding elements 7a,b.

At the upper end of the uppermost folding element 7b, this has a rubber plate 19 as an elastic shock absorber. This elastic shock absorber 19 is acted upon by the elevator car (not shown) in the event of an unwanted downward movement. It serves to slow down the downward movement of the elevator car and thus reduce the peak load on the connecting elements 13, 15 of the folding support 1.

At its lower end, the folding support 1 has a safety switch 21 as a position sensor, which is activated when the folding elements 7a,b are in contact with the base element 5. The safety switch 21 thus determines the fully folded state of the folding support 1 via the position of the folding elements 7a,b, whereupon the drive of the elevator or its control is activated. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1a,

When the folding support 1 is unfolded, the safety switch 21 is not activated. The control is thus deactivated and the lift is put out of operation.

In Fig. 1b, the folding support 1 is shown in a state in which the two folding elements 7a and 7b are unlatched from one another. For this purpose, the upper folding element 7b has been moved out of the lower folding element 7a in the vertical direction until the bolt 13 rests against the lower end of the elongated holes 15 of the upper folding element 7b.

In this unlocked position, the upper folding element can be pivoted relative to the lower folding element 7a with the bolt 13 as the axis. This pivoting movement takes place towards the open side of the profile of the folding elements 7a,b. It is made possible by the rear walls 9 being separated from one another due to the lateral movement during unlocking, and by the rear wall 9 of the upper folding element 7b not acting on the inner rear wall 9 of the lower folding element 7a during the pivoting movement due to its shoulder 8.

In order to provide the operator with an opportunity to carry out the pivoting movement, the handle 17 of the upper folding element 7b is extended out of the latter until the thickening 17b rests against the inside of the rear wall 9.

The upper folding element 7b is pivoted until it is received in the open profile of the lower folding element 7a and the rubber plate 19 rests on the bolt 13 of the base element. In this partially folded position of the folding support 1, which is shown in Fig. 1 c, the two folding elements 7a,b are locked together by means of a locking element 23. In the embodiment shown, the locking element 23 is designed as a screw protruding from the upper folding element 7b, which engages with an opening in the rear wall 9 of the lower folding element 7a and can be fastened on the opposite side of the rear wall 9 by means of a nut.

In this locked state, the two folding elements 7a and 7b can be moved together as a unit, with the extended handle 17 of the lower folding element 7a providing the required means of engagement. In particular, the two folding elements 7a,b can be pivoted around the bolt 13 of the base element 5 as soon as this is at the lower end of the

Long hole 15 of the lower folding element 7a so that the base element 5 and the lower folding element 7a are disengaged from one another. The handle 17 of the upper folding element 7b is retracted into it, since it is no longer required as an access point and in its retracted position does not hinder the insertion of the folding elements 7a,b into the base element 5.

In Fig. 1d, the folding support 1 is shown in its completely folded state. The upper folding element 7b is accommodated in the lower folding element 7a, the two folding elements 7a,b are locked together and accommodated together in the base element. When the folding element 7b rests on the safety switch 21, the latter is actuated so that the folded state of the folding support 1 is established and the control of the lift is activated. In Fig. 1d, a safety device 25 is shown by means of which the folding support 1 is secured against opening in its folded state. In the embodiment shown, the safety device 25 is a clamp closed around the base element 5, which can be replaced by a strap. The height of the folding support 1 in its folded state is the height of the base element 5.

Fig. 2 shows the profile of the base element 5 and the folding elements 7a,b in the folded state of the folding support 1 (see Fig. 1d). The profiles are U-shaped with a rear wall 9 and side walls 11, whereby the dimensions of the profile become smaller from the base element 5 via the lower folding element 7a to the upper folding element 7b, as described above. In particular, the folding element adjacent to the top can therefore be accommodated in the base or folding element below it.

The bolt 13 shown in Fig. 2 is attached to the lower folding element 7a and guided in elongated holes (not shown) in the upper folding element 7b. The handle 17 is retracted into the lower folding element 7a. The safety switch 21 is activated when the rear wall 9 of the upper folding element 7b rests against the latter.

The base plate 3 has openings 3b in which screws 3a can be accommodated for fastening the base plate 3 to the elevator shaft floor. In addition, it has a vertically curved section 3c by means of which it can be fastened to the wall of the elevator shaft.

Claims (20)

1. Folding support ( 1 ) for a machine room-less elevator in an elevator shaft, which has a base element ( 5 ) that can be fastened vertically to the floor of the elevator shaft and at least one folding element ( 7a ,b) arranged on the base element ( 5 ) and pivotable thereto. 2. Folding support according to claim 1, characterized in that the folding elements ( 7 a, b) can be locked in an unfolded state with the respectively adjacent folding or base element ( 7 a or 5 ). 3. Folding support according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that for unfolding or folding the folding support ( 1 ) a number of folded upper folding elements ( 7 a, b) can be pivoted together. 4. Folding support according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that each locking mechanism between two adjacent folding elements ( 7 a, b) or the lowermost folding element ( 7 a) and the base element ( 5 ) can be released individually. 5. Folding support according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it has two pivotable folding elements ( 7 a, b). 6. Folding support according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the base element ( 5 ) and the folding elements ( 7a ,b) each have a cross-section that is open on one side, so that the folding elements ( 7a ,b) adjoining upwards are accommodated in the cross-section in a folded-up state. 7. Folding support according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the outer dimension of a folding element ( 7 a, b) corresponds approximately to the inner dimension of the folding element ( 7 a) or base element ( 5) adjacent in the direction of the base element (5 ) . 8. Folding support according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that an elastic shock absorber ( 19 ) is arranged at its upper end, in particular at the end of the uppermost folding element ( 7b ). 9. Folding support according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that two folding elements ( 7 a, b) are connected to one another and the base element ( 5 ) is connected to the first folding element ( 7 a) by a bolt ( 13 ) guided in an elongated hole ( 15 ). 10. Folding support according to at least claim 9, characterized in that the bolt ( 13 ) is arranged in an upper section of the base element ( 5 ) or the folding elements ( 7a ) and the associated elongated hole ( 15 ) is arranged in a lower section of the folding element ( 7a ,b) adjoining at the top. 11. Folding support according to at least one of claims 9 and 10, characterized in that when the bolt ( 13 ) rests on one end of the associated elongated hole ( 15 ), the two adjacent base or folding elements ( 5 , 7a ,b) are locked together in their unfolded state, and that when the bolt ( 13 ) rests on the other end of the elongated hole ( 15 ), they are unlocked and can be pivoted against each other. 12. Folding support according to at least one of claims 10 and 11, characterized in that the two adjacent base or folding elements ( 5 , 7a ,b) are locked together when the bolt ( 13 ) rests on the upper end of the associated elongated hole ( 15 ). 13. Folding support according to at least one of claims 9 to 12, characterized in that the elongated holes ( 15 ) extend at a small angle of 1°-20°, primarily 5°-15°, in particular 10° to the longitudinal direction of the folding elements ( 7a ,b). 14. Folding support according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that two folding elements ( 7 a, b) in their folded state and/or in their unfolded state can be locked together by means of a locking element ( 23 ). 15. Folding support according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that at least one of the folding elements ( 7 a, b) has a handle ( 17 ). 16. Folding support according to at least claim 15, characterized in that the handles ( 17 ) can be retracted into the respective folding element ( 7a ,b). 17. Folding support according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it has a position sensor ( 21 ) which registers the completely folded state of the folding support ( 1 ). 18. Folding support according to at least claim 17, characterized in that the position sensor is a safety switch ( 21 ) in a lower section of the base element ( 5 ), which is actuated by the abutment of one of the folding elements ( 7a ,b) on the base element ( 5 ). 19. Folding support according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the base element ( 5 ) has a foot plate ( 3 ) for its fastening to the floor of the elevator shaft. 20. Folding support according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it has a safety device ( 25 ) for securing its folded state.