Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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CA 02152292 2003-06-12
ELEVATOR MACHINERY AND ITS INSTALLATION
The present invention relates to elevator machinery, and more
particularly, to machinery in which a motor for moving an elevator is secured
to
at least one guide rail of the elevator or its counterweight.
s Depending on the placement of elevator machinery, its physical
dimensions have an influence on the size of the elevator shaft and/or
building.
When the elevator machinery is placed into the elevator shaft, beside the
shaft
or in a machine room, the properties and dimensions of the machinery have a
significance in respect of the space required.
so Conventional elevator machinery has a motor, a gear system and
a traction sheave as separate parts. Such machinery is well-suited for
installation
in a machine room, because there is a sufficient space reserved for it in the
machine room. Solutions are also known in which such machinery is placed into
the counterweight or beside the shaft.
Elevator machinery can also have a gearless construction, based
for example on a disc-type motor as disclosed in Figure 8 of U.S. Patent
5,018,603. The motors disclosed in that specification are clearly more compact
and also flatter in the axial direction of the motor shaft than conventional
geared
elevator machinery. However, the machinery described in the specification is
2 o clearly designed for installation in an elevator machine room.
When geared or gearless elevator machinery of known construction
is placed into the elevator shaft, its space requirement becomes obvious since
it
always needs extra space.
The object of the present invention is to achieve a new solution for
25 placement of elevator machinery based on a disc-type motor, in which the
space
required by the machinery when installed in the elevator shaft is as small as
possible.
According to the present invention, there is provided an elevator
machinery for an elevator moving along guide rails, the machinery comprising
at
s o least an elevator motor and a traction sheave driving elevator ropes, the
elevator
motor comprising a discoid stator, a discoid rotor, a motor shaft, and at
least one
CA 02152292 2003-06-12
2
bearing between the rotor and the stator, whereby the elevator motor is of a
flat
construction in an axial direction of the motor shaft, and wherein the
elevator
machinery is fixedly mounted on a longitudinal side of one of the guide rails
of the
elevator or of its counterweight . The guide rail may be used as a structural
part of the
elevator machinery. The vertical forces of the elevator ropes on the traction
sheave
may be passed via a rolling center of the at least one bearing to the guide
rail. The
elevator machinery may also comprise a supporting element, extending between
the
elevator machinery and the guide rail, for supporting the elevator machinery
on the
guide rail. A supporting center of the supporting element may be vertically
aligned
to with the rolling center of the bearing.
The elevator machinery may also have at least one vibration damping
element between the elevator machinery and the guide rail, and that element
may be
positioned between the guide rail and the stator of the elevator motor. The
damping
element may be attached to the stator and the guide rail via an auxiliary
frame in such
i5 a manner that the auxiliary frame is attached to the stator and the damping
element
is positioned between the auxiliary frame and the guide rail. The damping
element
may be divided into at least three parts defining first, second and third
dampers. At
least two of those dampers prevent the elevator machinery from substantially
turning
about the longitudinal axis of the guide rail, and at least two of those
dampers prevent
2 o the elevator machinery from substantial vertical deviation on the guide
rail.
An auxiliary frame may act as a structure to increase the rigidity of the
stator. A central part of the frame in the region of the shaft is attached to
the stator,
and the frame is also attached to the stator at two points on the edge of the
stator by
means of fixing elements.
2 s The invention provides the advantage that the elevator machinery can
be installed in the elevator shaft without substantially requiring any extra
space in the
shaft. The elevator machinery is mounted on an elevator or counterweight guide
rail
which necessarily has to be present in the shaft, and the forces in the
elevator ropes
are thereby transmitted directly to the guide rail. Since the guide rail is
designed to
s o receive the large vertical forces generated by the action of the safety
gears of the
elevator, the dimensions of the guide rails do not need to be analyzed prior
to the
installation of the machinery.
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3
Elevator machinery of the invention has several advantages. One
is that the elevator guide rail is used as a structural part of the elevator
machinery to increase its strength. Thus, the elevator machinery itself can
have
a lighter construction, and is therefore cheaper to manufacture. The vertical
s forces generated by the elevator ropes are passed via a rolling center of
one of
the bearings of the machinery to the guide rail. Since the machinery will
continue to function even if the guide rail supporting it bends, no
reinforcement
to increase the rigidity of the rail is required for that part of the guide
rail to
which the elevator machinery is attached.
1 o The machinery may have means for damping vibrations, placed
between the elevator machinery and the guide rail. The damping system in this
embodiment ensures that bearing noise and the noise and vibrations generated
by the elevator ropes in the rope grooves cannot be transmitted to the guide
rail
and through it to the building.
15 The invention is next described with the help of preferred
embodiments, in which:
Figure 1 is an end view of a first embodiment of elevator
machinery of the invention, the view being along the axis of the motor shaft;
Figure 2 is a cross-sectional side view of the elevator machinery
20 of Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a cross-sectional side view of another embodiment of
the elevator machinery;
Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of one layout of the elevator
machinery in the elevator shaft;
2s Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of another layout of the elevator
machinery;
Figure 6 is an end view of another embodiment of the elevator
machinery, the view illustrating the vibration damping system of the elevator
machinery; and,
3 o Figure 7 is a partially-sectioned side view of the elevator
machinery of Figure 6.
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4
Figure 1 shows gearless elevator machinery 1 as provided by the
invention, mounted on a guide rail 6. The guide rail may be an elevator guide
rail or a counterweight guide rail, and the point of attachment of the
elevator
machinery to the guide rail may be in the upper or lower part of the shaft.
The
s elevator machinery 1 comprises a disc-type elevator motor 2, a brake 3 and a
traction sheave 4. The elevator ropes 5 are passed around the traction sheave
4. The elevator machinery is fixed by the edge of the stator 9 to the elevator
guide rail 6 by means of clawlike clamps 46 on opposite sides of the
machinery.
Moreover, a central part of the elevator machinery is fixed to the guide rail
by
1 o means of fixing elements 35 and a supporting element 34. The vertical
forces
of the elevator machinery are passed to the supporting element 34 and further
via shear bolts 36 to the guide rail 6. The clawlike clamps 46 keep the
machinery in place on the guide rail, and prevent it from turning. The fixing
elements 35 support the elevator machinery by means of the shear bolts 36
15 and, together with the supporting element (clamps) 34, prevent the
machinery
from turning and moving sideways in relation to the guide rail 6. Furthermore,
there is a protecting device 33 attached to the guide rail 6 by means of
fixing
elements 32 to prevent the elevator ropes 5 from coming off the rope groove 19
of the traction sheave 4.
2 o Figure 2 presents the elevator machinery 1 of Figure 1, as
sectioned along vertical line A-A. The elevator machinery 1 comprises an
elevator motor 2, a traction sheave 4 driving the elevator ropes 5, and a
brake
3. The elevator motor 2 consists of a stator 9, a motor shaft 7, a rotor 8,
and
a bearing 10 between the rotor 8 and stator 9. The stator 9 consists of a
stator
25 disc 11 formed by an annular stator core packet 12 with a stator winding
13.
The stator core packet 12 together with its winding 13 is attached by means of
fixing elements 53 to the stator disc 11. The fixing elements 53 are
preferably
screws. The rotor 8 consists of a rotor disc 14 provided with rotor excitation
elements 15 placed opposite to the stator core packet 12. The rotor excitation
3 o elements 15 are formed by attaching a number of permanent magnets 23 to
the
rotor disc 14 in succession so as to form a ringlike circle. The magnetic flux
of
5
the rotor 8 flows inside the rotor disc 14. The portion of the rotor disc 14
lying
under the permanent magnets 23 forms part of the magnetic circuit, and also
contributes to the material strength of the rotor 8. The permanent magnets 23
may be different in shape, and they can be divided into smaller magnets placed
side-by-side or in succession.
Between the permanent magnets 23 and the stator core packet 12
there is a planar air gap 16 essentially perpendicular to the shaft 7. The air
gap
16 may also have a slightly conical shape (not shown in the figure). In this
case, the mid-line of the cone coincides with the mid-line 71 of the shaft 7.
The
to traction sheave 4 and the stator 9 are placed on different sides of the
rotor disc
14 in the direction of the shaft 7 of the elevator motor 2. The elevator motor
2
may be, for example, a synchronous motor or a commutating d.c. motor.
The traction sheave 4 forms an integrated structure with the rotor
disc 14, and the shaft 7 is integrated with the stator disc 11, but both could
just
as well be implemented as separate parts. However, an integrated structure is
preferable, having regard to manufacturing technology. The elevator machinery
1 is mounted on the guide rail 6 by means of a supporting element 34 fixed to
the rail with fixing elements (screws) 35. The screws carry the axial
(vertical)
loads of the elevator machinery. Between the supporting element 34 and the
2 o guide rail 6 there are also shear bolts 36 (2 pieces) which receive the
vertical
loads. The shaft 7 is hollow and the end of the supporting element 34 is
inside
the hollow shaft. The supporting element 34 has a relatively-narrow annular
boss 37 of about 10 mm, placed in alignment with the focus of the rope load of
the elevator and at the same time with one of the bearings 10. The elevator
machinery 1 is attached to the guide rail 6 by means of clamps 46 holding
horizontal supporting elements 45 of stator 9, and by means of supporting
element 34 and shear bolts 36 supporting it vertically by its central part and
allowing some bending of the guide rail 6 in the region of the narrow boss 37.
This arrangement provides the advantage that the guide rail 6 need not be so
3 o fixed that it is completely rigid in the region of the elevator machinery
1, but it
suffices for the retainment of the guide rail 6 to fix it to the elevator
shaft by
6
means of supporting elements 40 placed on opposite sides of the elevator
machinery 1 (Figure 1). The guide rail 6 still functions as a structural part
reinforcing the elevator machinery 1. Therefore, the stator 9 of the elevator
machinery 1 can be of a light construction, providing an economic advantage.
s The stator disc 11 is provided with a cuplike or ring-shaped
troughlike cavity 20 formed by a first wall 21 and a second wall 22 joined
together, leaving the cavity open on one side. The first wall 21 is attached
to
the shaft 7. The stator core packet 12 with the stator winding 13 is attached
to
the first wall by means of fixing elements 53. The second wall 22 is directed
to towards the rotor disc 14.
The elevator machinery 1 of the invention can also be
implemented as an embodiment having a stator disc 11 having a cuplike or ring-
shaped annular cavity 20 open on one side and formed by a first wall 21 and
a second wall 22 joined together, both walls being directed towards the rotor
15 disc 14. The first wall 21 is attached to the shaft 7 by means of bracing
ribs,
and the stator core packet 12 with the stator winding 13 is attached either to
the
first or the second wall. This second embodiment is suited for elevator motors
having a very large diameter. The structure is not shown in the figures
because
the above description is sufficient for a person skilled in the art.
2 o Mounted between the rotor disc 14 and the second wall 22, and
directed towards the rotor disc 14, is a sealing 24, which may be a felt
gasket,
a lap seal or some other type of sealing, for example, a labyrinth seal. The
labyrinth seal may be implemented, for example, by providing the rotor disc 14
with a first ridge in the zone of sealing 24, and providing the stator disc 11
with
2 s collet-shaped ridges in a corresponding location on either side of the
first ridge.
The sealing 24 prevents detrimental particles from getting into the cavity 20.
The rotor disc 14 is provided with a brake disc 38 for a disc brake,
forming an extension of the outer circle of the rotor disc 14. The brake 3 may
also be a shoe brake, in which case the braking surface is the outermost part
3 0 39 of the annular brake disc. Thus, the brake disc is substantially an
immediate
extension of the rotor disc 14, yet with a narrow annular area for a sealing
7
between the rotor bars and the brake disc. Elevator machinery 1 also has an
outermost wall 45, which extends over the brake disc and forms a baffle plate
shielding the brake plate from being touched.
Placed between the elevator machinery 1 and the guide rail 6 is
s a damping means for damping vibrations. The figures do not show the damping
means, but it is implemented by placing an element made of a damping material
such as rubber between the clamps 46 and the guide rail 6. A corresponding
vibration damping element, preferably a tubular one, is also provided between
the supporting element 34 and the shaft 7 of the elevator machinery 1.
to Figure 3 presents horizontal section B-B of Figure 1. The elevator
machinery 1 has two brakes 3 float-mounted by means of fixtures 42 and 43,
which extend between mounting brackets 47 (forming an extension of the stator
disc 11) and a bar 41 attached to the stator disc 11. The braking surfaces 44
of the brake are placed on either side of the brake disc. The figure also
shows
15 the projections 48, placed on opposite sides of the stator disc 11 in the
direction
of the guide rail 6 and directed towards the guide rail 6, by which the
elevator
machinery 1 is fastened to the guide rail 6 by means of fixing elements 49.
Figures 4 and 5 present diagrams giving two examples of the
placement of the elevator machinery 1 of the invention on a guide rail 6 in an
2 o elevator shaft 51.
In Figure 4, the elevator machinery 1 is fixed to the top end of the
guide rail 6 in the manner illustrated by Figure 1. The guide rail 6 may be
either
an elevator guide rail or a counterweight guide rail. One end of the elevator
rope 5 is attached to the top 52 of the elevator shaft 51 at point 50, from
where
2s the elevator rope is passed via diverting pulleys 56 below the elevator car
54
and up to the traction sheave 4 of the elevator machinery 1. From there it is
further passed down to the diverting pulley 57 of the counterweight 55 and
then
back up to point 58 at the top 52 of the shaft, to which the other end of the
elevator rope 5 is fixed.
3 o Figure 5 illustrates another solution, in which the elevator
machinery 1 is fixed to the lower end of the guide rail 6 in the elevator
shaft 51.
8
One end of the elevator rope 5 is attached to the top 52 of the elevator shaft
51
at point 50. From there the rope 5 is passed down via diverting pulleys 56
below the elevator car 54 and then over a diverting pulley 59 in the top part
of
the shaft 51, and then back down to the traction sheave 4 of the elevator
machinery 1 fixed to the lower end of the guide rail 6. From there the rope is
passed back up to another diverting pulley 60, then downwards to the diverting
pulley 57 of the counterweight 55, and then back up to point 58 at the top of
the
elevator shaft 51, to which the other end of the elevator rope 5 is fixed.
Figures 6 and 7 present an application of the vibration damping
Zo system in elevator machinery 1 of the invention, the machinery 1 being
mounted
on the guide rail 6 by means of an auxiliary frame 64.
The auxiliary frame 64 consists of a base plate 66, two side plates
65, a top end plate 67 and a bottom end plate 68, said plates being joined
together. The side plates 65 are reinforcing plates extending through about
one-half of the rail height past the T-back towards the guide surface. This
solution achieves a small total thickness for the elevator machinery 1. The
vibration damping elements 61, 62 and 63 between the elevator machinery 1
and the guide rail 6 are attached to the stator 9 and the guide rail 6 via the
auxiliary frame 64 in such manner that the auxiliary frame 64 is fixed to the
2o stator 9, and the damping elements 61, 62 and 63 are between the guide rail
6 and the auxiliary frame 64. In principle, it would be possible to use only
one
damping element, but technically and economically it is advantageous to divide
a damping element into smaller parts, preferably three parts, a first damper
61,
a second damper 62, and a third damper 63. The dampers 62 and 63 prevent
2s the elevator machinery 1 from substantially turning about the longitudinal
axis
of the guide rail 6. Similarly, the first damper 61 and either the second
damper
62 or the third damper 63 prevent the elevator machinery 1 from substantial
vertical deviation on the guide rail 6. The first damper 61 at the top edge of
the
elevator machinery 1 is held between the top end plate 67 and a top cover 69,
3 o said top cover 69 being attached to the guide rail 6 by means of a fixing
element 73. Correspondingly, the second damper 62 and third damper 63,
9
positioned side-by-side below the elevator machinery 1, are held between the
auxiliary frame 64 and a lower supporter 70. The lower supporter 70 is
attached to the guide rail 6 by means of fixing elements 74. The top cover 69
and the lower supporter 70 are provided with a fillet to prevent sideways
s movement of the dampers. The shear forces resisting the rotation and rolling
over of the elevator machinery 1 are transmitted by guide pins 72, fixed to
the
auxiliary frame 64 and passing through the dampers. The auxiliary frame 64
also acts as a structural part increasing the rigidity of the stator 9, a
central part
of the auxiliary frame 64 being attached to the stator 9 in the region of the
shaft
io 7 by means of the supporting element 34 and fixing elements 35. The
auxiliary
frame 64 is also attached to stator 9 at two points on the edge of the stator
9
by means of fixing elements 77. One of the hoisting lugs 76 of the elevator
machinery 1 is attached to the guide pin 72 going through the first damper 61.
The guide pins 72 are passed through holes 75 in the top and bottom end
15 plates. The guide pins 72 act as safety devices after the possible
occurrence
of damper breakage, since in that case the guide pin 72 remains leaning
against
the top or bottom end plate.
An alternative way of mounting the dampers is to place each
damper between two cuplike structures. The upper cup would have a diameter
2 o slightly larger than that of the lower cup, and would partly surround the
lower
cup. In the event of damper breakage, the cup edges come into contact with
each other, thus preventing the elevator machinery 1 from coming off the
auxiliary frame 64.
It should be obvious to a person skilled in the art that different
25 embodiments of the invention are not restricted to the examples described
above, but that they may instead be varied within the scope of the claims
presented below.
