Elevator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9783390-B2
Application number	US-201514703118-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 4, 2015
Priority date	Jun 3, 2014
Publication date	Oct 10, 2017
Grant date	Oct 10, 2017

Abstract

The invention relates to an elevator comprising
a hoistway; an elevator car vertically movable in the hoistway; at least one rope connected to the car; a rotatable traction member comprising a circumferential traction surface for each of the at least one rope; each of the at least one rope passing around the rotatable traction member and having a front side surface resting against a circumferential traction surface of the traction member, the front side surface and/or the traction surface of the rotatable traction member being made of material comprising polymer; and a drive machinery for controlling rotation of the rotatable traction member; and activatable pressing means for pressing the at least one rope against the circumferential traction surface of the traction member which comprise a pressing shoe mounted on the back side of and out of contact with the rope section of each of said at least one rope, which rope section rests against the rotatable traction member, the pressing shoe being movable towards the back side surface of said rope section; and actuating means activatable to move the pressing shoe towards the back side surface of said rope section such that the pressing shoe moves into contact with and presses the rope section against the circumferential traction surface of the traction member; and activating means for activating the actuating means to move the pressing shoe towards the back side surface of said rope section.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An elevator comprising:
a hoistway;
an elevator car vertically movable in the hoistway;
at least one rope connected to the car;
a rotatable traction member including a circumferential traction surface corresponding to each of the at least one rope, the at least one rope passing over the rotatable traction member, the at least one rope having a front side surface resting against the circumferential traction surface of the traction member, the front side surface being made of a first material including a polymer;
a drive machinery configured to control rotation of the rotatable traction member; and
an activatable pressing device configured to press the at least one rope against the circumferential traction surface of the traction member, the activatable pressing device including,
a pressing shoe mounted out of contact with a rope section of each of the at least one rope, the rope section resting against the rotatable traction member, the pressing, shoe configured to move towards and into contact with the rope section, the pressing shoe including a non-rotatable pressing surface that does not rotate when the at least one rope rotates while the non-rotatable pressing surface contacts the rope section, the non-rotatable pressing surface being arc shaped in a direction of rotation of the circumferential traction surface of the rotatable traction member,
an actuator configured to selectively move the pressing shoe towards the rope section such that the pressing shoe moves into contact with and presses the rope section against the circumferential traction surface of the rotatable traction member, and
an activating device configured to activate the actuator to move the pressing shoe towards the rope section.

2. The elevator of claim 1 , wherein the activating device comprises:
at least an electrical safety circuit configured to selectively activate the actuator and the drive machinery to stop a rotation of the rotatable traction member, by braking the rotation of the traction member with at least one mechanical brake and stopping a motor from rotating the rotatable traction member.

3. The elevator of claim 2 , wherein the elevator further comprises:
one or more sensors configured to sense one or more of elevator conditions and parameters, and to trigger one or more actions, if the one or more of elevator conditions and parameters meet one or more criteria, the one or more actions including at least breaking the electrical safety circuit.

4. The elevator of claim 3 , the one or more sensors comprising:
a temperature sensor, configured to activate the actuator if a sensed temperature reaches a limit temperature.

5. The elevator of claim 4 , wherein the temperature sensor is configured to sense a temperature of the at least one rope.

6. The elevator of claim 1 , wherein the actuator comprises:
one or more springs configured to urge the pressing shoe to move towards the rope section; and
one or more solenoids configured to hold the pressing shoe out of contact with the rope section, the one or more solenoids being releasable by the activating device to release the one or more springs to move the pressing shoe towards and into contact with the rope section.

7. The elevator of claim 1 , wherein the rotatable traction member is a traction wheel and the pressing shoe is only movable in a radial direction of the traction wheel.

8. The elevator of claim 1 , wherein the rotatable traction member is a traction wheel and the non-rotatable pressing surface is arc shaped, the non-rotatable pressing surface at least substantially extending along the circumferential traction surface of the traction wheel.

9. The elevator of claim 8 , wherein the non-rotatable pressing surface is arc shaped such that the non-rotatable pressing surface extends along 30-90 degrees of the traction wheel.

10. The elevator of claim 1 , wherein the rope section has a back side surface, the back side surface of the rope section and the non-rotatable pressing surface of the pressing shoe being configured to slide against each other while the pressing shoe presses the rope section.

11. The elevator of claim 10 , wherein the back side surface of the rope section and the non-rotatable pressing surface are configured to not shape lock in a longitudinal direction of the rope, if the non-rotatable pressing surface is pressed against the back side surface of the rope section.

12. The elevator of claim 1 , wherein the non-rotatable pressing surface is made of a material including polytetrafluoroethylene.

13. The elevator of claim 1 , wherein each of the at least one rope is belt-shaped.

14. The elevator of claim 1 , wherein each of the at least one rope comprises:
one or more continuous load bearing members extending in a longitudinal direction of a length of a respective one of the at least one rope, the one or more continuous load bearing members being embedded in a common coating made of a third material including a polymer, the common coating forming a surface of each of the at least one rope.

15. A braking system, comprising:
a pressing device including a pressing shoe configured to move towards and into contact with a rope section on a circumferential traction surface of a traction wheel, the pressing shoe including a non-rotatable pressing surface, the non-rotatable pressing surface configured to not rotate when the rope section rotates while the non-rotatable pressing surface contacts the rope section, the non-rotatable pressing surface being arc shaped in a direction of rotation of the circumferential fraction surface of the traction wheel;
mechanical brakes configured to selectively stop movement of the traction wheel; and
a controller configured to activate the pressing device and the mechanical brakes.

16. The braking system of claim 15 , wherein the pressing device further comprising:
a spring configured to selectively move the pressing shoe towards the rope section such that the pressing shoe moves into contact with and presses the rope section against the traction wheel; and
a solenoid configured to selectively hold the pressing shoe out of contact with the rope section based on whether the pressing device is activated.

17. The braking system of claim 15 , wherein the non-rotatable pressing surface is arc shaped such that the non-rotatable pressing surface at least substantially extends along 30-90 degrees of the traction wheel.

18. The braking system of claim 15 , further comprising:
a temperature sensor configured to sense a temperature of the rope section, and to communicate same to the controller.

19. The braking system of claim 15 , wherein the non-rotatable pressing surface is made of a material including polytetrafluoroethylene.

20. A braking system, comprising:
a pressing device including a pressing shoe configured to move towards and into contact with a rope section on a circumferential traction surface of a traction wheel, the pressing shoe including a non-rotatable pressing surface, the non-rotatable pressing surface configured to not rotate when the rope section rotates while the non-rotatable pressing surface contacts the rope section, the non-rotatable pressing surface being made of a material including polytetrafluoroethylene;
mechanical brakes configured to selectively stop movement of the traction wheel; and
a controller configured to activate the pressing device and the mechanical brakes.

Assignees

• Valjus Petteri
• Kone Corp

Inventors

• Valjus Petteri

Classifications

• B66B5/185

  by acting on main ropes or main cables · CPC title

• B66B5/0037 Primary

  Performance analysers · CPC title

• B66B7/062

  Belts · CPC title

• B66B5/02 Primary

  responsive to abnormal operating conditions · CPC title

• B66B9/00

  Kinds or types of lifts in, or associated with, buildings or other structures (characterised by control systems B66B1/00; apparatus for raising or lowering persons on stages of theatres A63J5/12) · CPC title