Elevator with an operation space in a center of a machine room

An elevator in which a driving apparatus, a traction sheave, and a counterweight-side rope hitching portion are arranged above one rail of the right and left cage-side guide rails, while a cage-side rope hitching portion and a speed governor are arranged above the other rail of the right and left cage-side guide rails. Since a control panel is arranged along a rear inner wall surface of the machine room, a large operation space can be secured in a center part of the floor of the machine room. Further, since a machine beam can be extended at full length in the back and forth direction in the machine room, no additional building-side receiving beam is needed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an elevator which includes a machine room having only an area equivalent to a horizontal cross-sectional area of an elevator shaft, but in which a large operation space required for a maintenance of an elevator hoist, a control panel, a speed governor, and so on, can be secured, without needing an additional receiving beam on a building side for installing an elevator hoist.

2. Background Art

A machine room is conventionally disposed above an elevator shaft in which a cage and a counterweight of an elevator are vertically moved. An elevator hoist, a control panel, a speed governor, and so on are disposed in the machine room (see Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 175776/1996 (FIGS. 6 and 7)). For example, in a machine room1of a conventional elevator shown inFIG. 25, an elevator hoist2is disposed in a center part of the machine room1, a control panel3is disposed along a left wall1a, and a speed governor4is disposed along a back wall1b.

A not-shown cage and a counterweight are suspended like a jig back by a main rope5passing round a traction sheave2aand a deflecting sheave2bwhich are driven in rotation by the elevator hoist2.

A machine bed6on which the elevator hoist2is mounted is supported by three machine beams8which extend horizontally in the right and left direction in the drawing, through rubber cushions7aand7b.

These machine beams8are supported by building-side receiving beams10aand10which extend perpendicularly to a plane of the drawing, through upward rising machine beams9aand9b(see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 79624/1999 (FIG. 7)).

In the conventional elevator shown inFIG. 25, the elevator hoist2is arranged in a center part of the machine room1for suspending the cage and the counterweight.

Thus, an operation space required for maintenance of the elevator hoist2, the control panel3, the speed governor4, and so on, is arranged to surround the elevator hoist2. In this constitution, it is possible to secure a sufficient dimension required for the maintenance operation.

However, the Japanese law relating to buildings and a regulation for ensuring safety of elevators are different from those of foreign countries. Some countries require a unified operation space having a certain minimum area for maintenance carried out in a machine room.

In this case, the arrangement of the operation space which surrounds the elevator hoist2does not satisfy safety regulations in such countries. Thus, a machine room having a floor area larger than a horizontal cross-sectional area of an elevator shaft is needed.

On one hand, in the conventional elevator shown inFIG. 25, the control panel3must be arranged along an extension of the machine beams8because of a layout restriction of the machine room1.

Thus, it is impossible to elongate ends of the machine beams8to a building-side receiving beam10cdisposed in a lower part of the left wall1a, so that the receiving beam10amust be additionally disposed on the building side.

On the other hand, as shown inFIG. 26, in order to elongate the ends of the machine beams8to the building-side receiving beam10cdisposed in a lower part of the left wall1a, the control panel3must be mounted on the machine beams8, and an operation base11must be installed to secure an operation space for maintenance of the control panel3.

In this situation, there may be the case in which a size of the control panel3must be limited in a height direction thereof, in order that an upper part of the control panel3and a ceiling of the machine room1do not interfere with each other.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide an elevator which is capable of eliminating the above disadvantage in the conventional art, and includes a machine room having only an area equivalent to a horizontal cross-sectional area of an elevator shaft, but in which a sufficient operation space required for a maintenance of an elevator hoist, a control panel, a speed governor, and so on, can be secured, without needing an additional receiving beam on a building side for installing an elevator hoist.

An exemplary elevator for realizing the above object is an elevator wherein an elevator hoist, a control panel, a speed governor, and a hitching portion of a hoist rope are respectively arranged along an inner surface of a machine room, and a unified operation space for maintaining the equipment is arranged in a center part of the machine room.

That is, in the above exemplary elevator, a unified operation space for maintenance can be arranged in a center part of the machine room. Thus, even the machine room having only a floor area equivalent to a horizontal cross-sectional area of an elevator shaft can satisfy a safety regulation which requires an operation space having a certain minimum area.

Another exemplary elevator is an elevator comprising:

a cage that is guided by a pair of right and left cage-side guide rails to vertically move in an elevator shaft;

a traction sheave that is arranged above one of the pair of right and left cage-side guide rails, and is rotated about a rotational axis extending in the back and forth direction;

a driving apparatus that drives the traction sheave in rotation, and has an axis extending in the back and forth direction:

a counterweight that is guided by a pair of front and rear counterweight-side guide rails below the traction sheave to vertically move in the elevator shaft;

a cage-side sheave disposed on the cage; and

a hoist rope that is passed round the traction sheave, and has one end suspending the cage via the cage-side sheave and the other end suspending the counterweight.

In the elevator, a machine room disposed above the elevator shaft includes therein:

a machine beam that extends between building-side receiving beams in the back and forth direction along one of a pair of right and left inner wall surfaces extending opposite to each other in the back and forth direction, the machine beam supporting the driving apparatus, the traction sheave, and a counterweight-side hitching portion for hitching the other end of the hoist rope on a side of the counterweight;

a cage-side hitching portion for hitching the one end of the hoist rope on a side of the cage, and a speed governor, which are arranged along the other of the pair of right and left inner wall surfaces; and

a control panel for controlling the driving apparatus, which is arranged along the other inner wall surface, or an inner wall surface extending in the right and left direction between the pair of right and left inner wall surfaces.

That is, in the above exemplary elevator, the driving apparatus, the traction sheave, and the counterweight-side hitching portion can be arranged above one of the pair of right and left cage-side guide rails, while the cage-side hitching portion and the speed governor can be arranged above the other of the right and left cage-side guide rails.

Thus, the driving apparatus, the traction sheave, the counterweight-side hitching portion can be arranged along, for example, the left inner wall surface of the pair of right and left inner wall surfaces of the machine room, while the cage-side hitching portion and the speed governor can be arranged along the right inner wall surface.

The control panel for controlling the driving apparatus and so on can be arranged along the right inner wall surface, a front inner wall surface, or a rear inner-wall surface.

Thus, a unified operation space for maintenance can be arranged in a center part of the machine room. As a result, even the machine room having only a floor area equivalent to a horizontal cross-sectional area of an elevator shaft can satisfy a safety regulation which requires an operation space having a certain minimum area.

In addition, the machine beam supporting the driving apparatus, the traction sheave, and the counterweight-side hitching portion can be extended along the right inner wall surface between the building-side receiving beams in the back and forth direction, without being disturbed by the cage-side hitching portion, the speed governor, and the control panel. Thus, no additional machine beam is needed to support the machine beam.

In another aspect, in an exemplary elevator, both of the cage-side hitching portion and the speed governor are spaced apart from the front inner wall surface of the other inner wall surface.

That is, in the above exemplary elevator, a vacant space is obtained in a position adjacent to the front inner surface of the other inner wall surface of the machine room. Thus, for example, a machine room door and the control panel can be arranged in the space.

In another aspect, in an exemplary elevator, the cage-side hitching portion is disposed on a supporting beam extending along the other inner wall surface between the building-side receiving beams in the back and forth direction.

That is, in the above exemplary elevator, the cage-side hitching portion can be tightly supported by the supporting beam extending in the back and forth direction to be passed between the pair of building-side receiving beams extending along the front and rear edges of the machine room in the right and left direction.

In another aspect, in an exemplary elevator, the cage-side hitching portion is disposed on a supporting beam extending in the right and left direction from the building-side receiving beams extending along the other inner wall surface in the back and forth direction to the machine beam.

That is, in the above exemplary elevator, the cage-side hitching portion can be tightly supported by the supporting beam extending in the right and left direction to be passed between one of the pair of building-side receiving beams extending along the front and rear edges of the machine room in the back and forth direction and the machine beam.

In another aspect, in an exemplary elevator, the speed governor is disposed on a position higher than the cage-side hitching portion.

That is, in the above exemplary elevator, the cage-side hitching portion and the speed governor are arranged adjacent to each other. However, since the speed governor is disposed on a position higher than the cage-side hitching portion, maintenance of the speed governor can be carried out without being disturbed by the cage-side hitching portion.

In another aspect, in an exemplary elevator, the control panel is arranged on a position where the control panel is not interfered with by the supporting beam.

That is, in the above exemplary elevator, the cage-side hitching portion is disposed on the supporting beam. However, since the control panel is arranged on a position where the control panel is not interfered with by the supporting beam, maintenance of the control panel can be carried out without being disturbed by the supporting beam.

In another aspect, in an exemplary elevator, the control panel is mounted on the supporting beam.

That is, in the above exemplary elevator, the cage-side hitching portion is disposed on the supporting beam. However, since the control panel is mounted on the supporting beam, maintenance of the control panel can be carried out without being disturbed by the supporting beam.

In another aspect, in an exemplary elevator, the cage-side sheave is composed of a pair of right and left cage-side sheaves that are respectively arranged near right and left sidewalls of the cage.

That is, in the above exemplary elevator, since the pair of right and left cage-side sheaves can be spaced apart from each other as much as possible in the right and left direction, a gap between the traction sheave and the cage-side hitching portion is enlarged in the right and left direction, so that a large operation space can be obtained in the machine room.

In another aspect, in an exemplary elevator, the traction sheave is arranged such that at least a part of the traction sheave is overlapped with the cage when viewed vertically from above.

That is, in the above exemplary elevator, the cage-side sheave can be arranged directly below one of the right or left sides of the traction sheave. In addition, the counterweight is arranged directly below one of the right or left sides of the traction sheave.

Thus, since a winding angle of the hoist rope with respect to the traction sheave can be made to be 180° or more, a traction performance is secured so that a driving-up force can be securely transmitted from the traction sheave to the hoist rope.

In another aspect, in an exemplary elevator, the driving apparatus has an axial dimension larger than a contour dimension thereof.

That is, when the hoist rope composed of a plurality of ropes of a smaller diameter each having an outer diameter of 4 mm to 6 mm is employed, respective outer diameters of the cage-side sheave and the traction sheave can be restrained to be small. Thus, a degree of freedom of an arrangement of the respective sheaves can be enhanced.

A smaller outer diameter of the traction sheave allows a use of a direct driving motor as a driving apparatus. The direct driving motor has a smaller diameter and a longer axis, and rotates at a high speed.

Thus, since a space occupied by the driving apparatus in the right and left direction in the machine room can be reduced, an operation space in the machine room can be enlarged in the right and left direction.

Another exemplary elevator for realizing the above object, comprises:

an elevator shaft in which a cage and a counterweight that are suspended by a hoist rope like a jig back are vertically moved;

a machine room that has a floor area equivalent to a cross-sectional area of the elevator shaft, and is arranged above the elevator shaft;

an elevator hoist that is arranged along a first inner wall-surface of inner wall surfaces of the machine room, the first inner wall surface extending above one of right and left sidewalls of the cage in the back and forth direction;

a rope hitching portion for hitching at least one of ends of the hoist rope, and arranged near a second inner wall surface of the inner wall surfaces of the machine room, the second inner wall surface extending above the other of the right and left sidewalls of the cage in the back and forth direction; and

a control panel that is arranged along a third inner wall surface or the second inner wall surface of the inner wall surfaces of the machine room, the third inner wall surface extending adjacent to the first inner wall surface in the right and left direction.

That is, in the above exemplary elevator, the elevator hoist, the rope hitching portion, and the control panel can be arranged along the respective inner wall surfaces of the machine room.

Thus, such an elevator can be provided that has only an area equivalent to a horizontal cross-sectional area, but can have a sufficient operation space required for maintenance of an elevator hoist, a control panel, a speed governor, and so on.

In another aspect, in an exemplary elevator, a unified operation space for maintenance is arranged in a center part of the machine room. Thus, even the machine room having only a floor area equivalent to a horizontal cross-sectional area of an elevator shaft can satisfy a safety regulation which requires an operation space having a certain minimum area.

In another aspect, in an exemplary elevator, a first supporting beam extending along the first inner wall surface in the back and forth direction is provided between building-side receiving beams extending along the respective inner wall surfaces of the machine room, and the elevator hoist is supported by the first supporting beam. Thus, the elevator hoist can be tightly supported without needing an additional building-side receiving beam.

In another aspect, in an exemplary elevator, a second supporting beam extending along the second inner wall surface in the back and forth direction is provided between the building-side receiving beams extending along the respective inner wall surfaces of the machine room, and the rope hitching portion is supported by the second supporting beam. Thus, the rope hitching portion can be tightly supported without needing an additional building-side receiving beam.

In another aspect, in an exemplary elevator, a third supporting beam extending along the third inner surface is provided between one of the building-side receiving beams extending along the respective inner wall surfaces of the machine room and the first supporting beam, and the rope hitching portion is supported by the third supporting beam. Thus, the rope hitching portion can be tightly supported without needing an additional building-side receiving beam.

In another aspect, in an exemplary elevator, the control panel is supported by the second supporting beam or the third supporting beam. Thus, the control panel can be tightly supported without needing an additional building-side receiving beam.

On one hand, an elevator recited in claim19comprises:

a machine room that has a floor area equivalent to a cross-sectional area of an elevator shaft, and is arranged above the elevator shaft;

a cage that is guided by a pair of right and left cage-side guide rails to vertically move in the elevator shaft;

a counterweight that is guided by a pair of counterweight-side guide rails to vertically move in the elevator shaft on one side of right and left sidewalls of the cage;

a traction sheave that is rotated about a rotational axis extending in the back and forth direction, and is arranged along a first inner wall surface of inner wall surfaces of the machine room, the first inner wall surface extending above the counterweight in the back and forth direction;

a driving apparatus for driving the traction sheave in rotation, and arranged along the first inner wall surface in the machine room such that an axis of the driving apparatus extends in the back and forth direction;

a cage-side sheave disposed on the cage;

a hoist rope that is passed round the traction sheave, and has one end suspending the cage via the cage-side sheave and the other end suspending the counterweight;

a cage-side rope hitching portion for hitching the one end of the hoist rope suspending the cage, and is arranged near a second inner wall surface of the inner wall surfaces of the machine room, the second inner wall surface extending opposite to the first inner wall surface in the back and forth direction; and

a control panel for controlling the driving apparatus, and arranged along a third inner wall surface adjacent to the first inner wall surface of the inner wall surfaces of the machine room, or the second inner wall surface.

That is, in the elevator, the driving apparatus, the traction sheave, and the counterweight-side rope hitching portion can be arranged above one of the pair of right and left cage-side guide rails, while the cage-side rope hitching portion and the speed governor can be arranged above the other of the right and left cage-side guide rails.

Thus, the driving apparatus, the traction sheave, and the counterweight-side rope hitching portion can be arranged along, for example, the left inner wall surface of the pair of right and left inner wall surfaces of the machine room, while the cage-side rope hitching portion and the speed governor can be arranged along the right inner wall surface.

The control panel for controlling the driving apparatus and so on can be arranged along the right inner wall surface, a front inner wall surface, or a rear inner wall surface.

Thus, a unified operation space for maintenance can be arranged in a center part of the machine room. As a result, even the machine room having only a floor area equivalent to a horizontal cross-sectional area of an elevator shaft can satisfy a safety regulation which requires an operation space having a certain minimum area.

On the other hand, in another aspect, an exemplary elevator comprises:

a machine room that has a floor area equivalent to a cross-sectional area of an elevator shaft, and is arranged above the elevator shaft;

a cage that is guided by a pair of right and left cage-side guide rails to vertically move in the elevator shaft;

a counterweight that is guided by a pair of counterweight-side guide rails on a side of a rear wall of the cage to vertically move in the elevator shaft;

a traction sheave that is rotated about a rotational axis extending in the back and forth direction, and is arranged along a first inner wall surface of inner wall surfaces of the machine room, the first inner wall surface extending above one of right and left sidewalls of the cage in the back and forth direction;

a driving apparatus for driving the traction sheave in rotation, and arranged along the first inner wall surface in the machine room such that an axis of the driving apparatus extends in the back and forth direction;

a cage-side sheave disposed on the cage;

a deflecting sheave arranged along an inner wall surface of the elevator shaft;

a hoist rope that is passed round the traction sheave, and has one end suspending the cage via the cage-side sheave and the other end extending to the counterweight by being guided by the deflecting sheave to suspend the counterweight;

a cage-side rope hitching portion for hitching the one end of the hoist rope suspending the cage, and arranged near a second inner wall surface of the inner wall surfaces of the machine room, the second inner wall surface extending opposite to the first inner wall surface in the back and forth direction; and

a control panel for controlling the driving apparatus, and arranged along a third inner wall surface adjacent to the first inner wall surface of the inner wall surfaces of the machine room, or the second inner wall surface.

That is, in the elevator according to claim20, the driving apparatus and the traction sheave can be arranged above one of the pair of right and left cage-side guide rails, while the cage-side rope hitching portion, the counterweight-side rope hitching portion, and the speed governor can be arranged above the other of the right and left cage-side guide rails.

Thus, the driving apparatus and the traction sheave can be arranged along, for example, the left inner wall surface of the pair of right and left inner wall surfaces of the machine room, while the cage-side rope hitching portion, the counterweight-side rope hitching portion, and the speed governor can be arranged along the right inner wall surface.

The control panel for controlling the driving apparatus and so on can be arranged along the right inner wall surface, a front inner wall surface, or a rear inner wall surface.

Thus, a unified operation space for maintenance can be arranged in a center part of the machine room. As a result, even the machine room having only a floor area equivalent to a horizontal cross-sectional area of an elevator shaft can satisfy a safety regulation which requires an operation space having a certain minimum area.

In another aspect, in an exemplary elevator, a first supporting beam extending along the first inner wall surface in the back and forth direction is provided between building-side receiving beams arranged along a periphery of the machine room, and the driving apparatus is supported by the first supporting beam. Thus, the driving apparatus can be tightly supported without being disturbed by the cage-side rope hitching portion, the speed governor, and the control panel, and without needing an additional building-side receiving beam.

In another aspect, in an exemplary elevator, the driving apparatus has an axial dimension larger than a contour dimension thereof. Thus, since a space occupied by the driving apparatus in the right and left direction in the machine room can be reduced, an operation space in the machine room can be enlarged in the right and left direction.

When the hoist rope composed of a plurality of ropes of a smaller diameter each having an outer diameter of 4 mm to 6 mm is employed, respective outer diameters of the cage-side sheave and the traction sheave can be restrained to be small. Thus, a degree of freedom of an arrangement of the respective sheaves can be enhanced.

A smaller outer diameter of the traction sheave allows a use of a direct driving motor as a driving apparatus. The direct driving motor has a smaller diameter and a longer axis, and rotates at a high speed.

In another aspect, in an exemplary elevator, the cage-side sheave is composed of a pair of right and left cage-side sheaves that are respectively arranged near right and left sidewalls of the cage. Thus, since the pair of right and left cage-side sheaves can be spaced apart from each other as large as possible in the right and left direction, a gap between the traction sheave and the cage-side hitching portion is enlarged in the right and left direction, so that a large operation space can be obtained in the machine room.

In another aspect, in an exemplary elevator, the traction sheave is arranged such that a part of the traction sheave is overlapped with the cage when viewed vertically from above. Thus, one of the right and left cage-side shaves can be arranged directly below the traction sheave. Thus, since a winding angle of the hoist rope with respect to the traction sheave can be made to be 180° or more, a traction performance is secured so that a driving-up force can be securely transmitted from the traction sheave to the hoist rope.

In another aspect, in an exemplary elevator, the cage-side rope hitching portion is supported by a second supporting beam extending along the second inner wall surface in the back and forth direction between the building-side receiving beams. Thus, the cage-side rope hitching portion can be tightly supported without needing an additional building-side receiving beam.

In another aspect, in an exemplary elevator, the cage-side rope hitching portion is supported by a third supporting beam extending in the right and left direction to be passed between the building-side receiving beams extending along the second inner wall surface in the back and forth direction and the first supporting beam. Thus, the cage-side rope hitching portion can be tightly supported without needing an additional building-side receiving beam.

In another aspect, in an exemplary elevator, the counterweight-side rope hitching portion for hitching the other end of the hoist rope suspending the counterweight is supported by the second supporting beam extending along the second inner wall surface in the back and forth direction between the building-side receiving beams. Thus, the counterweight-side rope hitching portion can be tightly supported without needing an additional building-side receiving beam.

In another aspect, in an exemplary elevator, the control panel is arranged on a position where the control panel is not interfered with by the first to third supporting beams. Thus, maintenance of the control panel can be easily carried out without being disturbed by the supporting beams.

In another aspect, in an exemplary elevator, the control panel is mounted on the first to third supporting beams. Thus, maintenance of the control panel can be easily carried out without being disturbed by the supporting beams. In addition, the control panel can be tightly supported without needing an additional building-side receiving beam.

In another aspect, in an exemplary elevator, a speed governor for controlling a vertical movement speed of the cage is arranged along the second inner wall surface in the machine room. Thus, maintenance of the speed governor can be carried out in an operation space arranged in a center part of the machine room.

In another aspect, in an exemplary elevator, both of the cage-side rope hitching portion and the speed governor are arranged on a front portion of the second inner wall surface. Thus, a vacant space is obtained in a rear part of the second inner wall surface. Thus, a machine room door and the control panel can be arranged in the vacant space.

In another aspect, in an exemplary elevator, the speed governor is disposed on a position higher than the cage-side hitching portion. Thus, maintenance of the speed governor can be easily carried out without being disturbed by the cage-side rope hitching portion.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Respective embodiments of an elevator according to the present invention are hereinafter described in detail with reference toFIGS. 1 to 24.

In the description below, a right and left direction is defined as a direction in which an entrance door of a cage is opened/closed; a back and forth direction is defined as a direction in which passengers enter/exit the cage; and an up and down direction is defined as a vertical direction.

The same parts have the same reference numbers, and their description will be omitted.

First Embodiment

A general structure of an elevator in a first embodiment is described with reference toFIGS. 1 and 2. A cage20is guided by a pair of right and left cage-side guide rails21L and21R to be vertically moved in an elevator shaft S installed in a building.

A pair of right and left doors22L and22R disposed on a front surface of the cage20is opened/closed in the right and left direction.

A cage frame supporting the cage20includes an upper beam23horizontally extending above the cage20in the right and left direction, and a sheave supporting beam24connected to the upper beam23such that an upper surface of the sheave supporting beam24is tightly in contact with a longitudinal center part of a lower surface of the upper beam23, and the sheave supporting beam24is inclined both in the back and forth direction and the right and left direction in a horizontal plane relative to the upper beam23.

A pair of right and left cage-side sheaves25L and25R is rotatably supported on right and left ends of the sheave supporting beam24.

A machine room30is disposed above the elevator shaft S in which the cage20and a counterweight45guided by a pair of front and rear counterweight-side guide rails45fand45rare vertically moved.

On a floor31of the machine room above the left cage-side guide rail21L, a traction sheave41which rotates about a rotational axis extending in the back and forth direction, and a driving apparatus42for driving the traction sheave41in rotation having an axis extending in the back and forth direction are arranged to extend along a left inner wall surface32.

A hoist rope43passing round the traction sheave41is composed of a plurality of ropes of a smaller diameter each having an outer diameter of 4 mm to 6 mm. The hoist rope43suspends the cage20and the counterweight45like a jig back in a two-to-one roping arrangement.

The hoist rope43includes a part43apendent from the traction sheave41to the cage20, a part43bhorizontally extending between the pair of right and left cage-side sheaves25L and25R, and a part43cextending upward from the right cage-side sheave25R to pass through the floor of the machine room30, with an upper end of the part43cbeing hitched on a cage-side rope hitching portion44in the machine room30.

The hoist rope43includes a part43dpendent from the traction sheave41passing through the floor of the machine room30to the counterweight45, and a part43epassing round the counterweight-side sheave45arotatably disposed on the counterweight45and extending upward to pass through the floor of the machine room30, with an upper end of the part43ebeing hitched on a counterweight-side rope hitching portion46.

Since each of the ropes forming the hoist rope43has an outer diameter of as small as 4 mm to 6 mm, outer diameters of the traction sheave41. the pair of right and left cage-side sheaves25L and25R, and the counterweight-side sheave45acan be respectively restrained to be from about 200 mm to about 250 mm.

Thus, a degree of freedom of an arrangement of the respective sheaves is enhanced, which also enhances a degree of freedom of a drawing of the hoist rope43.

To be specific, an inclination angle of the sheave supporting beam24relative to the upper beam23can be reduced, while the pair of right and left cage-side sheaves25L and25R is sufficiently brought close to the right and left sidewalls20aand20bof the cage20.

Since a torsion angle of the part43aof the hoist rope43extending between the traction sheave41and the left cage-side sheave25L can be restrained to be small, it is possible to prevent a generation of noises and vibrations accompanied with a contact of the respective ropes forming the hoist rope43with rope grooves of the respective sheaves.

The left cage-side sheave25L is arranged to be sufficiently close to the left sidewall20aof the cage20, with a part of the traction sheave41being arranged to overlap with the cage20when viewed vertically from above. In addition, the counterweight-side sheave45ais arranged directly below the traction sheave41.

Such a constitution allows a winding angle of the hoist rope43with respect to the traction sheave41to be 180 degrees or more, and a traction performance is secured so that a driving-up force can be securely transmitted from the traction sheave41to the hoist rope43.

A layout of the machine room30is described with reference toFIGS. 2 to 4. The traction sheave41, the driving apparatus42, each having an axis extending in the back and forth direction, and the counterweight-side rope hitching portion46are arranged along the left inner wall surface32of the pair of right and left inner wall surfaces32and33which extend opposite to each other in the back and forth direction.

The cage-side rope hitching portion44and the speed governor47are arranged near the right inner wall surface33.

The control panel48for controlling an operation of the driving apparatus42and so on is arranged along a center part in the right and left direction of a rear inner wall surface34extending in the right and left direction between the pair of right and left inner wall surfaces32and33.

Thus, a large unified operation space for maintaining the equipment can be secured in a center part of the floor31of the machine room30.

That is, in the elevator100in the first embodiment shown inFIG. 2, since the traction sheave41, the driving apparatus42, and the counterweight-side rope hitching portion46are disposed on an upper part of the left cage-side guide rail21L, this equipment can be arranged along the left inner wall surface32of the machine room30.

Since the cage20is supported by the pair of right and left cage-side sheaves25L and25R, the cage-side rope hitching portion44can be arranged near the right inner wall surface33of the machine room30.

In addition, since the pair of right and left cage-side sheaves25L and25R is respectively arranged close to the right and left side walls20aand20bof the cage20, the traction sheave41and the driving apparatus42can be largely spaced apart from the cage-side rope hitching portion44in the right and left direction.

Thus, a sufficiently large operation space can be secured in a center part of the floor31of the machine room30.

A machine bed51for supporting the driving apparatus42is mounted on a machine beam53formed by combining a pair of right and left C-shaped steels53aand53b, through four rubber cushions52.

The machine beam53is extended at full length in the back and forth direction in the machine room30to be passed between a pair of front and rear upward rising machine beams54and55extending in the right and left direction along the front and rear edges of the machine room30.

The pair of front and rear upward rising machine beams54and55are mounted on a pair of front and rear building-side receiving beams B1and B4which extend in the right and left direction along the front and rear edges of the machine room30, and a building-side receiving beam B2which extends in the back and forth direction along a left edge of the machine room30.

Thus, the elevator100in this embodiment needs no additional receiving beam on a building side, which is for the machine beam53supporting the driving apparatus42.

The cage-side rope hitching portion44arranged along the right inner wall surface33of the machine room30can be supported by a supporting frame60disposed on the floor31, provided that the floor31of the machine room30has a sufficient strength.

Since the speed governor47arranged adjacent to the cage-side rope hitching portion44along the right inner wall surface33is disposed on a position higher than the cage-side rope hitching portion44, a maintenance operation of the speed governor47can be easily carried out.

Both of the cage-side rope hitching portion44and the speed governor47are arranged such that they are spaced apart from the rear inner wall surface34to the front. Thus, as shown inFIG. 4, a machine room door49can be disposed on the right inner wall surface33.

In accordance with a change of an arrangement of the pair of right and left cage-side sheaves25L and25R, the speed governor47may be arranged close to the rear inner wall surface34, as in an elevator110of a first example shown inFIG. 5.

As in an elevator120of a second example shown inFIG. 6, the control panel48, in place of the machine room door49inFIG. 4, may be arranged along a portion of the right inner wall surface33adjacent to the rear inner wall surface34.

In addition, as in an elevator130of a third example shown inFIG. 7, the control panel48may be arranged along a rear-side inner wall surface25extending in the right and left direction between the pair of right and left inner wall surfaces32and33.

Second Embodiment

An elevator200in a second embodiment is described with reference toFIGS. 8 to 12.

In the elevator100in the first embodiment, the cage-side rope hitching portion44is supported by the supporting frame60disposed on the floor31of the machine room30.

However, in the case where the floor31of the machine room30does not have a sufficient strength, or the cage20is large and heavy, the cage-side hitching portion44cannot be directly supported by the floor31of the machine room30.

In such cases, as shown inFIGS. 8 and 9, the cage-side rope hitching portion44is supported by a supporting beam61formed by a pair of right and left C-shaped steels61aand61bwhich are extending at full length in the back and forth direction in the machine room30.

A pair of front and rear upward rising supporting beams62and63are mounted and secured on the building-side receiving beams B1and B4extending along front and rear edges of the machine room30in the right and left direction. Front and rear ends of the supporting beam61are mounted and secured on the upward rising supporting beams62and63.

Thus, when a sufficient strength is not secured on the floor31of the machine room30, a large operation space can be secured in a center part of the floor31of the machine room30, while tightly supporting the cage-side rope hitching portion44.

As in an elevator210of a fourth example shown inFIG. 10, the supporting beam61which supports the cage-side rope hitching portion44may be arranged to extend in the right and left direction in the machine room30.

In this case, an upward rising supporting beam64, on which a right end of the supporting beam61is mounted, is mounted and secured on a building-side receiving beam B3extending along a right edge of the machine room30in the back and forth direction.

At the same time, a left end of the supporting beam61is connected to the machine beam53.

As in an elevator220of a fifth example shown inFIG. 11, the control panel48may be mounted on the supporting frame60extending in the back and forth direction.

As in an elevator230of a sixth example shown inFIG. 12, the control panel48may be mounted on the supporting frame60extending in the back and forth direction.

Third Embodiment

A general structure of an elevator in a third embodiment is described with reference toFIGS. 13 and 14.

In an elevator300in a third embodiment, the cage20is guided by the pair of right and left cage-side guide rails21L and21R to vertically move in the elevator shaft S installed in a building.

The pair of right and left doors22L and22R disposed on a front surface of the cage20is opened/closed in the right and left direction.

The cage frame supporting the cage20includes the upper beam23horizontally extending above the cage20in the right and left direction, and the sheave supporting beam24connected to the upper beam23such that an upper surface of the sheave supporting beam24is tightly in contact with a longitudinal center part of a lower surface of the upper beam23, and that the sheave supporting beam24is inclined both in the back and forth direction and the right and left direction in a horizontal plane relative to the upper beam23.

The pair of right and left cage-side sheaves25L and25R is rotatably supported on right and left ends of the sheave supporting beam24.

A counterweight72is disposed behind the cage20, which is guided by a pair of right and left counterweight-side guide rails71L and71R arranged along a rear wall S3of the elevator shaft3to vertically move in the elevator shaft S.

A pair of counterweight-side sheaves73L and73R is rotatably supported above the counterweight72.

The machine room30is disposed above the elevator shaft S in which the cage20and the counterweight72are vertically moved.

On the floor31of the machine room30, above the left cage-side guide rail21L, or above the left sidewall20aof the cage20, the traction sheave41which rotates about a rotational axis extending in the back and forth direction, and the driving apparatus42for driving the traction sheave41in rotation having an axis extending back and forth direction are arranged along the left inner wall surface32of the machine room30.

Adjacent to a left inner wall surface S1of the elevator shaft S in a sufficiently lower part from the traction sheave41, a pair of lower deflecting sheaves74fand74rare rotatably supported about rotational axes extending in the right and left direction.

Adjacent to a rear inner wall surface S2of the elevator shaft S directly below the floor31of the machine room30, a pair of right and left upper deflecting sheaves75L and75R are rotatably supported about rotational axes extending in the back and forth direction.

A hoist rope76passing round the traction sheave41suspends the cage20and the counterweight72like a jig back in a two-to-one arrangement.

The hoist rope76includes a part76apendent from the traction sheave41passing through the floor of the machine room30to the cage20, a part76bhorizontally extending between the pair of right and left cage-side sheaves25L and25R, and a part76cextending upward from the right cage-side sheave25R to pass through the floor of the machine room30, with an upper end of the part76cbeing hitched on the cage-side rope hitching portion44in the machine room30.

The hoist rope76includes a part76dpendent from the traction sheave41to pass through the floor of the machine room30, a part76ehorizontally extending between the pair of front and rear lower deflecting sheaves75fand75rin the back and forth direction, a part76fextending upward from the rear lower deflecting sheave74rto the left upper deflecting sheave75L, a part76ghorizontally extending between the pair of right and left deflecting sheaves75L and75R in the right and left direction, a part76hextending downward from the right upper deflecting sheave75R to the left counterweight-side sheave73L, a part76iextending between the pair of right and left counterweight-side sheaves73L and73R in the right and left direction, and a part76jextending upward from the right counterweight-side sheave73R to pass through the floor31of the machine room30and hitch on a counterweight-side rope hitching portion78supported by a supporting frame77on the floor31.

Since each of the ropes forming the hoist rope76has an outer diameter of as small as 4 mm to 6 mm, outer diameters of the traction sheave41, the pair of right and left cage-side sheaves25L and25R, the pair of right and left counterweight-side sheaves73L and73R, the pair of front and rear lower deflecting sheaves74fand74r, and the pair of right and left upper deflecting sheaves75L and75R can be respectively restrained to be from about 200 mm to about 250 mm.

Thus, a degree of freedom of an arrangement of the respective sheaves is enhanced, which also enhances a degree of freedom of a drawing of the hoist rope76.

The counterweight72is vertically moved behind the cage20along the rear wall S3of the elevator shaft S. The traction sheave41and the pair of front and rear lower deflecting sheaves74fand74rare arranged adjacent to the left inner wall surface S1of the elevator shaft S. The pair of right and left upper deflecting sheaves75L and75R is arranged on a top of the elevator shaft S adjacent to the rear wall S3.

Thus, the lower deflecting sheaves74fand74rare not interfered with by the counterweight72.

Since the upper deflecting sheaves75L and75R are arranged on an uppermost part of the elevator shaft S, the upper deflecting sheaves75L and75R are not interfered with by the counterweight72. Thus, a sufficiently large vertical stroke of the counterweight72can be achieved.

Since the lower deflecting sheaves74fand74rcan be arranged sufficiently below the traction sheave41, it is possible to realize a gentle curve of a portion of the hoist rope76from the traction sheave41to the left counterweight-side sheave73L through the lower deflecting sheaves74fand74rand the upper deflecting sheaves75L and75R.

As a result, a durability of the hoist rope76can be improved. Since no tensile difference is generated in the respective parts of the hoist rope76, vertical vibrations of the cage20can be prevented when a vertical movement of the cage20restarts after the cage20is stopped. Further, it is possible to prevent a generation of noises and vibrations accompanied with a contact of the respective ropes forming the hoist rope with rope grooves of the respective sheaves.

A layout of the machine room30is described with reference toFIGS. 15 to 16. The traction sheave41and the driving apparatus42, each having an axis extending in the back and forth direction, are arranged along the left inner wall surface32of the pair of right and left inner wall surfaces32and33which extend opposite to each other in the back and forth direction.

The cage-side rope hitching portion44and the speed governor47are arranged along the right inner wall surface33.

The control panel48for controlling an operation of the driving apparatus42and so on, and the counterweight-side hitching portion78are arranged along the rear inner wall surface34extending between the pair of right and left inner wall surfaces32and33in the right and left direction.

Thus, a large unified operation space for maintaining the equipment can be secured in a center part of the floor31of the machine room30.

That is, in the elevator300in the third embodiment shown inFIG. 14, since the traction sheave41and the driving apparatus42are disposed above the left cage-side guide rail21L, the equipment can be arranged along the left inner wall surface32of the machine room30.

Since the cage20is supported by the pair of right and left cage-side sheaves25L and25R, the cage-side rope hitching portion44can be arranged along the right inner wall surface33of the machine room30.

In addition, since the pair of right and left cage-side sheaves25L and25R is respectively arranged close to the right and left side walls20aand20bof the cage20, the traction sheave41and the driving apparatus42can be largely spaced apart from the cage-side rope hitching portion44in the right and left direction.

Thus, a sufficiently large operation space can be secured in a center part of the floor31of the machine room30.

In the elevator300of the third embodiment shown inFIG. 14, since the counterweight72is arranged behind the cage20to vertically move along the rear wall S3of the elevator shaft S, the counterweight-side rope hitching portion78can be arranged along the rear inner wall surface34of the machine room30.

A part of the hoist rope76suspending the counterweight72is passed between the pair of right and left upper deflecting sheaves75L and75R and the pair of right and left counterweight-side sheaves73L and73R which are arranged adjacent to the rear wall S3of the elevator shaft S. Thus, the counterweight-side rope hitching portion78can be arranged on a portion of the rear inner wall surface34of the machine room30near the right inner wall surface33of the machine room30.

Thus, the control panel48for controlling the driving apparatus42and so on can be arranged between the traction sheave41and the counterweight-side rope hitching portion78along the rear inner wall surface34of the machine room30.

As a result, maintenance of the control panel48can be carried out in a large operation space secured in a center part of the floor31of the machine room30.

Since the cage-side rope hitching portion44and the speed governor47are arranged on a front side of the right inner wall surface33of the machine room30, the machine room door49can be disposed on a rear side portion of the right inner wall surface33of the machine room30.

As in an elevator310of a first example shown inFIG. 17, the speed governor47may be arranged close to the rear inner wall surface34of the machine room30. In this case, the machine room door49can be disposed on the front inner wall surface35of the machine room30.

As in an elevator320of a second example shown inFIG. 18, the control panel48may be arranged along a portion of the right inner wall surface33adjacent to the rear inner wall surface34of the machine room. Also in this case, the machine room door49can be disposed on the front inner wall surface35of the machine room30.

As in an elevator330of a third example shown inFIG. 19, the control panel48may be arranged along a portion of the right inner wall surface33adjacent to the front inner fall surface35of the machine room. In this case, the machine room door49can be disposed on the rear inner wall surface34of the machine room30.

The pair of front and rear lower deflecting sheaves75fand75r, and the pair of right and left upper deflecting sheaves75L and75R is used for guiding a portion of the hoist rope76extending from the traction sheave41to the counterweight72. However, the pair of front and rear lower deflecting sheaves75fand75rmay be replaced with a single lower deflecting sheave, and the pair of right and left upper deflecting sheaves75L and75R may be replaced with a single upper deflecting sheave.

In addition, the pair of right and left counterweight-side sheaves73L and73R may be replaced with a single counterweight-side sheave.

Fourth Embodiment

An elevator400in a fourth embodiment is described with reference toFIGS. 20 and 21.

In the elevator300in the third embodiment, the counterweight-side rope hitching portion78is supported by the supporting frame77disposed on the floor31of the machine room30.

However, in the case where the floor31of the machine room30does not have a sufficient strength, or the cage20is large and heavy, the counterweight-side rope hitching portion78cannot be directly supported by the floor31of the machine room30.

In such cases, as shown inFIGS. 20 and 21, the counterweight-side rope hitching portion78is supported by a supporting beam80extending along the rear inner wall surface34of the machine room30in the right and left direction.

The supporting beam80is composed of a pair of front and rear C-shaped steels81and82. A right end of the supporting beam80is mounted and secured on an upward rising supporting beam83which is arranged on the building-side receiving beam B3and is extending in the back and forth direction. A left end of the supporting beam80is connected to the machine beam53and secured thereon.

Thus, when a sufficient strength is not secured on the floor31of the machine room30, a large operation space can be secured in a center part of the floor31of the machine room30, while tightly supporting the counterweight-side rope hitching portion78.

By arranging the control panel48along the front inner wall surface35of the machine room30, maintenance of the control panel48can be carried out in a large operation space in a center part of the floor31.

As in an elevator410of a first example shown inFIG. 22, the control panel48may be mounted on the supporting beam80which supports the counterweight-side rope hitching portion78. In this case, the machine room door49can be disposed on the front inner wall surface35of the machine room30.

As in an elevator420of a second example shown inFIG. 23, when the supporting beam61is used for supporting the cage-side rope hitching portion44, the counterweight-side rope hitching portion78may be supported on a rear end of the supporting beam61.

As in an elevator430of a third example shown inFIG. 24, when the control panel48is mounted on the supporting beam61, a large operation space ranging from the front inner wall surface35to the rear inner wall surface34of the machine room can be secured in a center part of the floor31of the machine room30.

Embodiments of the elevator according to the present invention were described in detail above. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and it goes without saying that various changes and modifications are possible.

For example, in the respective above-described embodiments, the cage-side rope hitching portion44is arranged in a front part of the right inner wall surface33of the machine room30. However, in accordance with an arrangement of the pair of right and left cage-side sheaves25L and25R, the cage-side hitching portion44may be disposed in a rear part of the right inner wall surface33, that is, near the rear inner wall surface34of the machine room30.

As apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, there is provided an elevator which has only an area equivalent to a horizontal cross-sectional area, but can have a sufficient operation space required for maintenance of an elevator hoist, a control panel, a speed governor, and so on.

Since a machine beam extending at full length in the back and forth direction in a machine room can be arranged along one of right and left inner wall surfaces of the machine room, the machine beam can be supported by building-side receiving beams respectively extending in the right and left direction along front and rear edges of the machine room. Therefore, no additional building-side receiving beam is needed for supporting the machine beam.