Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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TRACTION SHEAVE ELEVATOR, HOISTING UNIT AND MACHINE SPACE
The present invention relates to a traction sheave elevator, a hoisting unit
and
a machine space.
One of the objectives in elevator development hay been to achieve an efficient
and economic space utilization. In conventional traction sheave driven
elevators, the
elevator machine room or other space for the drive machinery takes up a
considerable part
of the building space required for the elevator. The problem is not only the
volume of the
space required by the elevator, but also its placement in the building. There
are various
solutions for the placement of the machine room, but they generally involve
significant
restrictions as to the design of the building at least with regard to space
utilization or
appearance. For example, in the case of a so-called "side-drive elevator with
the machine
room below", a machine room or space is required below or beside the shaft,
generally on
the bottommost floor of the elevator system. Being a special space, the
machine room
generally increases the building costs.
An object of the present invention is to achieve at an economic cost a
reliable
elevator allowing efficient space utilization and in which, irrespective of
the hoisting height,
the building space required for the elevator is substantially limited to the
space needed by
the elevator car and counterweight on their paths, including the safety
distances, and the
space needed to provide a passage for the hoisting ropes, and in which the
problems or
drawbacks described above can be avoided.
According to ari aspect of the present invention, there is provided a traction
sheave elevator comprising a plurality of guide rails; an elevator car movable
along the
plurality of guide rails; a counterweight movable along a plurality of
counterweight guide
rails; a set of hoisting ropes on which the elevator car and the counterweight
are
suspended in an elevator shaft; a motor driving a traction sheave placed in
the elevator
shaft and acting on the hoisting ropes, the motor having an axis of rotation
oriented in the
elevator shaft such that the axis will intersect an adjacent elevator car, and
wherein the
motor is substantially flat in the direction of a drive shaft of the fraction
sheaves the elevator
shaft including a shaft wall adjacent the elevator car, the shaft wall having
a pair of opposed
inner and outer surface planes defining a solid finite thickness; and a
machine space being
defined in the shaft wall, the machine space being a hole extending between
the pair of
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opposed surface planes and being delimited in a thickness direction of the
shaft wall by the
plane of each of the pair of opposed surfaces of the shaft wall, the motor
being mounted
and contained within the machine space such that the motor does not extend
beyond the
outer surfaces of the shaft wall.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a
traction sheave drive system which minimizes the space occupied in an elevator
shaft, said
drive system comprising an elevator shaft structure having at least one wall;
a plurality of
guide rails in the elevator shaft structure; an elevator car movable along the
plurality of
elevator guide rails; a discoidal electric motor having a stator, rotor, and
an axis of rotation,
the axis of rotation being oriented in said elevator shaft structure such that
the axis will
intersect an adjacent elevator c:ar; a traction sheave mounted on and directly
driven by said
rotor on said axis of rotation; and wherein said elevator shaft structure
includes a shaft wall
adjacent said elevator car; said shaft wall having a pair of opposed inner and
outer surface
planes defining a solid finite thickness, and having a machine space in said
shaft wall, the
machine space being a hole extending between the pair of opposed surface
planes and
being delimited in a thicknesswise direction of the shaft wall by the plane of
each of the pair
of opposed surfaces; and said discoidal motor being mounted on and contained
within the
machine space such that the motor does not extend beyond the outer surfaces of
the
machine space.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a
traction sheave elevator system comprising an elevator shaft structure having
at least one
wall; a plurality of guide rails; an elevator car movable along the plurality
of elevator guide
rails adjacent to the at least one wall of the elevator shaft structure; a
discoidal electric
motor having an axis of rotation, the axis of rotation oriented in said
elevator shaft structure
such that the axis will interseca an adjacent elevator car; a traction sheave
driven by the
discoidal electric motor on said axis of rotation; the elevator shaft
structure including a shaft
wall having a pair of opposed inner and outer surface planes defining a solid
finite
thickness; and a machine space being defined in the shaft wall, the machine
space being
a hole extending between the pair of opposed surtace planes and being
delimited in the
thicknesswise direction of the shaft wall by the plane of each of the pair of
opposed
surfaces; whereby the discoidal electric motor is mounted on and contained
within the
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machine space such that the discoidal electric motor does not extend beyond
the outer
surfaces of the shaft wall.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a
method for configuring the space occupied by an elevator car and the drive
assembly
associated therewith, the drive assembly including at least a discoidal
electric motor and a
traction sheave, the traction sheave being driven by the discoidal electric
motor, the method
comprising the steps of providing an elevator shaft structure having at least
one wall;
placing the elevator car in the elevator shaft structure, the elevator car
being movable along
a plurality of guide rails provided in the elevator shaft structure; arranging
an axis of rotation
of the discoidal electric motor to be oriented in the elevator shaft structure
such that the axis
will intersect an adjacent elevator car; providing a shaft wall in the
elevator shaft structure,
the shaft wall having a pair of opposed inner and outer surfaces defining a
solid finite
thickness, and defining a machine spare in the shaft wall, the machine space
being a hole
extending between the pair of opposed surface planes and being delimited in
the
thicknesswise direction of the shaft wall by the plane of each of the pair of
opposed
surfaces; and mounting the discoidal electric motor to be contained within the
machine
space such that the motor does not extend beyond the outer surfaces of the
shaft wall.
Various advantages can be achieved by applying the invention, including the
following:
- The traction sheave elevator of the invention allows an obvious space
saving to be achieved in the building because no separate machine
room is required.
The elevator is cheap to install as the elevator machinery can be
assembled and tested beforehand in the factory.
- Applying the invention to practice requires no major changes in the
design or manufacture of the elevator.
The machinery and the instrument panel are within easy reach, so the
manner of accessing the machinery for maintenance or in an
emergency does not essentially differ from conventional elevators.
In the following, the invention is described in detail by the aid of one of
its
embodiments by referring to the attached drawings, in which
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Figure 2 illustrates an elevator with machinery below in which an embodiment
of the invention is applied;
Figure 3 illustrates the layout of the main components of an elevator
employing
the invention, projected on the cross-section of the elevator shaft; and
Figure 4 illustrates an elevator with machinery above, implemented according
to an embodiment of the invention.
Figure 1 illustrates a hoisting unit 9 for a traction sheave elevator in
accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The unit in this figure is the
hoisting unit
of a traction sheave elevator with machinery below, in which the hoisting
ropes 3 go
upwards from the traction sheave 7 of the hoisting machinery 6. In the case of
an elevator
with machinery above, the ropes would go downwards, The hoisting machinery 6
is fixed
20
30
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to the support 20 of the hoisting unit, which support 20 is preferably of a
framelike design.
Mounted on the frame 20 is also an instrument panel 8, which contains the
elevator control
equipment and the equipment needed for the control of and supply of power to
the
electromotor comprised in the hoisting machinery 6. The hoisting machinery 6
is of a discoidal
shape and, in relation to its diameter, relatively flat in the direction of
the traction sheave shaft.
The traction sheave 7 protrudes from the discoidal hoisting machinery 6 into
the shaft space.
Placed on the circumference of the hoisting machinery 6 is a brake 14. An
elevator machinery
usable as a hoisting machinery 6 is described. Such a machinery does not
require a large
machine space, so it can easily be placed in an opening in the wall or in a
recess made in the
wall on the side facing towards the shaft. A preferable thickness of the
hoisting unit 9 is about
or somewhat over ten centimetres. The traction sheave 7 is not included in
this thickness.
A 10 cm thick hoisting unit 9 can readily be accommodated in an ordinary
elevator shaft wall
because a typical wall thickness is at least about 15 cm, both in the case of
a cast concrete
wall and a brick wall.
Figure 2 illustrates an elevator with machinery below in which the invention
is
employed, the hoisting unit 9 being placed beside the shaft in its lower part.
The main parts
of the elevator machinery 6 are mounted in a space limited in its maximum by
the thickness
of the wall of the elevator shaft 17, in an opening 15 in the wall which is
open towards the
shaft space and closed with a door 16 from the outside to prevent illicit
access to the
machinery or entry into the shaft through the opening 15. On the shaft side,
the opening may
be provided with a safety net or glass or the like to make sure that one
cannot, for example
stretch a hand into the shaft space past the equipment in the opening. In
general, it is not
preferable to close the machine space 15 completely from the shaft side
because, regarding
ventilation of the machine space 15, an advantageous solution is one in which
the machine
space is ventilated through the shaft. In some cases, however, closing the
machine space
on the shaft side may be necessary, for example to stop the propagation of
noise. In such
cases the machine space 15 is closed on the shaft side except for the inlets
required for
power transmission to the traction sheave 7 and other purposes. In any case,
the machine
space 15 has a depth not exceeding the thickness of the wall of the elevator
shaft 17. From
the hoisting machinery 6 comprised in the hoisting unit, the traction sheave 7
moving the
hoisting ropes 3 (depicted in broken
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lines) protrudes into the shaft 17. Figure 2 shows both the portion of the
hoisting ropes
passing below the car 1 over diverting pulleys 4,5 and the portions of the
hoisting ropes
coming down from the upper part of the shaft 17 to the traction sheave.
Figure 3 illustrates the layout of the main components of an elevator with
machinery below, projected on a cross-section of the elevator shaft 17. The
elevator car
1 moves along elevator guide rails 10 and the counterweight 2 along
counterweight guide
rails 11. The hoisting machinery 6 and the instrument panel 8 are placed in an
opening
in the wall of the elevator shaft 17. The traction sheave 7 protrudes from the
hoisting
machinery 6 and also from the opening 15 into the shaft 17. Diverting pulleys
12 placed
in the top part of the shaft guide the passage of the hoisting ropes. One of
the diverting
pulleys 12 guides the hoisting ropes from the traction sheave 7 to the
diverting pulley 13
on which the counterweight 2 is suspended and from which the hoisting ropes go
further
to a fixed rope anchorage at the top of the shaft. Another diverting pulley 12
guides the
hoisting ropes from the traction sheave 7 to the diverting pulleys 4 and 5
attached to the
car 1, by means of which the elevator car 1 is suspended on the hoisting ropes
and from
which the ropes go further to a fixed rope anchorage at the top of the shaft.
In the figure,
the hoisting ropes are represented by their cross-sections on the traction
sheave and
diverting pulleys, but otherwise the ropes are not shown. At each landing, the
wall of the
elevator shaft 17 is provided with a door opening 18 for the landing door. The
elevator car
1 is provided with a corresponding door opening 19. If the elevator car is
provided with
a door, its door opening 19 is closed by the car door.
Figure 4 is a diagram representing an elevator with machinery above,
implemented according to an embodiment of the invention. The hoisting unit 9
is placed
beside the elevator shaft 117 in its upper part. The elevator machinery 6 is
mounted in
an opening 115 in the wall of the elevator shaft 117. The opening is open
towards the
shaft and closed with a door 116 from the outside of the shaft. From the
hoisting
machinery 6 comprised in the hoisting unit, the traction sheave 7 moving the
hoisting ropes
103 (depicted in broken lines) protrudes into the shaft 117. The figure shows
the portion
of the hoisting ropes 103 passing below the car 101 over diverting pulleys
104,105 and
the portion of the hoisting ropes going from the traction sheave towards the
counterweight.
It will be obvious to a person skilled in the art that different embodiments
of
the invention are not restricted to the examples described above, but that
they may instead
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be varied within the scope of the claims presented below. For instance, the
lay-out of the
car and counterweight in the shaft is not a decisive question. It is also
obvious to the
skilled person that the drive shaft of the traction sheave can be provided
with a support
on the side facing the shaft as well, e.g. by using a support beam attached to
the frame
5 of the hoisting machinery. The skilled person also knows that the traction
sheave
comprised in an elevator machinery is frequently not a fixed part of the
machinery but a
component which need not be mounted on its drive shaft until during
installation of the
elevator.
