Elevator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9764927-B2
Application number	US-201314061411-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 23, 2013
Priority date	May 20, 2011
Publication date	Sep 19, 2017
Grant date	Sep 19, 2017

Abstract

An elevator has a car, arranged to be moved along at least one guide rail in an elevator guide way, the car having a brake for braking the car movement by gripping the guide rail, the brake having a gripping device configured to grip the guide rail and exert a friction force thereon, and an adjusting device configured to adjust the gripping device with respect to its friction force exerted on the guide rails in case of braking. The adjusting device is configured to adjust the gripping device depending on the car position in the elevator guide way. With the above construction, emergency braking is allowed, particularly in higher and high rise elevators with a stopping distance which is mostly unaffected by the position of the elevator car in the guide way.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An elevator comprising:
at least one guide rail;
a plurality of compensation ropes;
a car configured to be moved along the at least one guide rail in an elevator guide way, the car comprising a brake configured to slow and/or stop movement of the car by gripping the at least one guide rail, the brake comprising:
a gripping means configured to grip the at least one guide rail to thereby exert a friction force thereon; and
an adjusting means configured to adjust the gripping means with respect to the friction force exerted on the at least one guide rail, the adjusting means comprising a transmitting member,

wherein the adjusting means is configured to adjust the gripping means depending on a position of the car in the elevator guide way,
wherein the transmitting member is a horizontal bar that is horizontal with respect to the at least one guide rail and is connected to the compensation ropes,
wherein the transmitting member has outer ends which are configured to apply a transmitting force to the gripping means to alter the friction force exerted by the gripping means to the at least one guide rail,
wherein the transmitting force is configured to vary depending on the weight of the compensation ropes at a given elevation, and
wherein the adjusting means is configured to pre-adjust the gripping means by setting the gripping means constantly in a desired position before the braking is needed.

2. The elevator according to claim 1 , wherein the adjusting means and/or gripping means comprises a limit means configured to limit the friction force exerted by the gripping means on the at least one guide rail, and
wherein the adjusting means is configured to adjust a limiting effect of the limit means depending on a position of the car in the elevator guide way.

3. The elevator according to claim 2 , wherein said gripping means comprises a gripping element configured to engage the at least one guide rail, and
wherein said limit means comprises a spring, the spring forms a yieldable mounting for the gripping element so as to limit the friction force exerted to the at least one guide rail by said gripping element, and
wherein said adjusting means is configured to adjust the compression of the spring.

4. The elevator according to claim 3 , wherein the gripping element is a counter wedge, and wherein the transmitting member acts on the counter wedge via said spring.

5. The elevator according to claim 2 , wherein the limit means is a mechanical limit means.

6. The elevator according to claim 2 , wherein said limit means is part of the gripping means.

7. The elevator according to claim 2 , further comprising an indication means configured to determine a position of the car in the elevator guide way.

8. The elevator according to claim 5 , wherein said gripping means comprises a gripping element configured to engage the at least one guide rail, and said limit means comprises a spring, the spring forms a yieldable mounting for the gripping element so as to limit the gripping force exerted to the at least one guide rail by said gripping element of the gripping means, and
wherein said adjusting means is configured to adjust the compression of the spring.

9. The elevator according to claim 1 , further comprising an indication means configured to determine a position of the car in the elevator guide way.

10. The elevator according to claim 9 , wherein the indication means determines the car position based on a weight of at least one rope portion suspended on the elevator car.

11. The elevator according to claim 10 , wherein the at least one rope portion is a compensation rope and/or a car supply cable.

12. The elevator according to claim 1 , wherein at least one buffer or damper is provided between the transmitting member and the elevator car to delay/dampen the change of the shape and/or position of the transmitting member.

13. The elevator according to claim 1 , wherein said adjusting means is configured to adjust the limit means or gripping means independent of an operational status of the elevator.

14. The elevator according to claim 1 , wherein said gripping means comprises at least one gripping wedge.

15. The elevator according to claim 1 , wherein said adjusting means is configured to continuously adjust the gripping means.

16. The elevator according to claim 1 , wherein the adjusting means is configured to be adjusted depending on a moving direction of the elevator car and/or depending on a car load.

17. A method for adjusting the braking force in an elevator, the method comprising:
providing an elevator, the elevator comprising:
at least one guide rail;
an elevator car;
a plurality of compensation ropes;
an elevator brake, the brake comprising:
a gripping means; and
an adjusting means comprising a transmitting member, wherein the transmitting member is a bar having outer ends and is connected to said compensation ropes and is connected to said gripping means at said outer ends;

gripping the at least one guide rail with the gripping means such that a friction force is applied to the guide rail; and
adjusting the friction force applied to the at least one guide rail by applying a transmitting force to the gripping means with said transmitting member,
wherein the transmitting force varies depending on a weight of the compensation ropes at a given elevation.

Assignees

• Kone Corp

Inventors

• Kalliomäki Jaakko

Classifications

• B66B5/22

  by means of linearly-movable wedges (B66B5/24 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B66B5/18 Primary

  and applying frictional retarding forces · CPC title

• B66B3/02

  Position or depth indicators · CPC title