Patent Publication Number: US-9834415-B2

Title: Elevator system for a building under construction

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a U.S. National Stage Entry of International Patent Application Serial Number PCT/EP2013/074639, filed Nov. 25, 2013, which claims priority to German Patent Application No. DE 102012111622.9 filed Nov. 29, 2012, the entire contents of both of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     FIELD 
     The present disclosure generally relates to elevator systems, including elevator systems for buildings under construction. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Elevator systems usually have a drive device which is coupled via a supporting cable to a car that can be made to move upward and downward in the vertical shaft. Frequently, the car is also connected via the supporting cable to a counterweight. The car is often driven by means of a driving disk over which the supporting cable is guided. In order to be able to limit the speed of the car in the event of a fault, use is made, in addition to a break acting on the drive of the car, of a separate speed limiter which cooperates with a speed limiter cable arranged in the shaft. The speed limiter is coupled to a gripping device which is arranged on the car. Together with the gripping device, the speed limiter ensures that, independently of the drive and also independently of the brake of the elevator system, the travel of the car is stopped as soon as a predefined speed is exceeded. Accordingly, a speed limiter can also be used to limit the speed of the counterweight connected to the car. 
     In high-rise buildings, such elevator systems are already required when constructing the building, in order to bring construction workers and material as close as possible to that storey on which the construction work is currently being carried out. To that end, elevator systems are known which are initially installed in a first, already-completed shaft region, such that this shaft region can be served by the elevator system. As construction progresses, the elevator system is moved stepwise upward in the shaft so as to increase that portion of the shaft that can be served by the elevator system. Moving the elevator system into a higher shaft region makes it necessary, inter alia, to also lengthen the speed limiter cable. To that end, it can be provided that the initially-used speed limiter cable is replaced with a longer speed limiter cable. However, this involves considerable cost. 
     WO 2008/077992 A1 proposes guiding a speed limiter cable around a lower deflection pulley arranged in the pit and around an upper deflection pulley arranged in the temporary machine compartment, and to secure a first end of this cable in a positionally-fixed manner on the car. The second end of the speed limiter cable is wound onto a cable roll which is arranged on the roof of the car. When the temporary machine compartment is moved into a higher shaft region, the effective length of the speed limiter cable can be increased in that a cable section which is required for the lengthening is unwound from the cable roll. A disadvantage of such a configuration is that the weight of the car is increased by the cable roll arranged on the roof of the car and that portion of the speed limiter cable which is wound thereon. This leads to a long-term increase in the energy consumption of the elevator system. Furthermore, in the case of such a configuration, the weight of the car changes when the temporary machine compartment is moved. This in turn makes it necessary to change the counterweight and influences the traction calculations. 
     SUMMARY 
     The invention has the object of developing an elevator system of the type mentioned in the introduction such that, when the temporary machine compartment is moved, the speed limiter cable can be lengthened in a simple manner without this leading to a long-term increase in the energy consumption of the elevator system. 
     In the case of a generic elevator system, this object is achieved according to the invention in that the speed limiter is arranged on the car or on a counterweight connected to the car via the supporting cable, and in that the speed limiter cable has a first and a second cable section, wherein the first cable section is clamped in a positionally-fixed manner between a cable retainer that is connected in a positionally-fixed manner to the temporary machine compartment and a releasable clamping device arranged in a lower shaft region, and wherein the second cable section connects in the lower shaft region to the first cable section and is stored in a storage region. 
     In the case of the elevator system according to the invention, the speed limiter is arranged on the car or on the counterweight connected to the car via the supporting cable. The speed limiter cooperates with a first cable section of the speed limiter cable which is clamped in the shaft between a cable retainer that is connected in a positionally-fixed manner to the temporary machine compartment and a releasable clamping device arranged in a lower shaft region. 
     In the case of the elevator system according to the invention, in order to be able to move the temporary machine compartment upward in the shaft, a second cable section which is stored in a storage region adjoins the first cable section of the speed limiter cable which is clamped in the shaft. The second cable section thus forms a cable store for the effective length of the speed limiter cable. If the temporary machine compartment is to be moved upward in the shaft, the speed limiter cable can simply be lengthened in that the clamping device arranged in the lower shaft region is released and a desired lengthening section is removed from the cable store. Once the temporary machine compartment has reached its intended position in the shaft, the clamping device in the lower shaft region can be tightened once again, such that henceforth a lengthened first cable section is clamped between the cable retainer arranged in the temporary machine compartment and the clamping device arranged in the lower shaft region. 
     Since, in the case of the elevator system according to the invention, the cable store for the speed limiter cable is arranged in a storage region outside the car and the counterweight, the weight of the car and/or of the counterweight is not increased by the cable store of the speed limiter cable, such that the energy consumption of the elevator system for moving the car vertically upward and downward in the shaft can be relatively low. 
     The storage region is preferably arranged in the shaft, in particular in the lower shaft region or outside the shaft, for example in an adjacent space. 
     It is expedient if an end region of the second cable section is wound onto a cable drum in the storage region. 
     The cable drum can for example be rotatably mounted in a pit. 
     It can in particular be provided that the cable drum is positioned on the floor of the shaft. 
     In one advantageous embodiment, the releasable clamping device has a releasable cable clamp. In such a configuration, the first cable section is clamped between the cable retainer arranged in the temporary machine compartment and the releasable cable clamp. The cable clamp can for example have two clamping jaws which can be moved back and forth between a clamping position and a release position. In the clamping position, the speed limiter cable can be clamped between the two clamping jaws, and in the release position a desired lengthening section of the speed limiter cable can be fed between the two clamping jaws in order to lengthen the first cable section when moving the temporary machine compartment. 
     It is advantageous if the cable clamp cooperates with a clamping weight that can be made to move in the vertical direction. The clamping weight can apply a clamping force on the cable clamp. 
     Preferably, the clamping weight has a carriage which is held on a guiding device such that it can be displaced in the vertical direction, on which at least one weight element is held, and which is connected to the releasable cable clamp. 
     Expediently, the at least one weight element is releasably held on the carriage. To that end, the carriage can form a recess into which the at least one weight element can be inserted—preferably without the use of tools. This makes it possible to simply change the clamping force acting on the first cable section of the speed limiter cable, in that the weight element is exchanged or, in addition, at least one further weight element is inserted into the recess. 
     The guiding device of the carriage has, in an advantageous embodiment, two guiding rails, on which the carriage is held displaceably. Expediently, the carriage is positioned between the two guide rails. 
     Also the car and preferably also the counterweight used in an advantageous embodiment are expediently guided on guiding rails. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
       The following description of an advantageous embodiment of the invention serves, in conjunction with the drawing, for a more detailed description. In the figures: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic representation of an advantageous embodiment of an elevator system according to the invention, which is installed in the shaft of a building under construction, and 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective representation of a releasable clamping device arranged in a lower region of the shaft, for a speed limiter cable for the elevator system of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic representation of another example elevator system similar to that shown in  FIG. 1 , except here an example speed limiter is disposed on the counterweight and a storage region is disposed outside the shaft. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Although certain example methods and apparatus have been described herein, the scope of coverage of this patent is not limited thereto. On the contrary, this patent covers all methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture fairly falling within the scope of the appended claims either literally or under the doctrine of equivalents. Moreover, those having ordinary skill in the art will understand that reciting ‘a’ element or ‘an’ element in the appended claims does not restrict those claims to articles, apparatuses, systems, methods, or the like having only one of that element, even where other elements in the same claim or different claims are preceded by “at least one” or similar language. Similarly, it should be understood that the steps of any method claims need not necessarily be performed in the order in which they are recited, unless so required by the context of the claims. In addition, all references to one skilled in the art shall be understood to refer to one having ordinary skill in the art. 
     The present disclosure generally relates to an elevator system for a building under construction. In some examples, such an elevator system may include having a vertical shaft within which is held a temporary machine compartment, a drive device that is disposed in the temporary machine compartment and is coupled via a supporting cable to a car that can be made to move upward and downward in the shaft, and a speed limiter for limiting the speed of the car. The speed limiter may cooperate with a speed limiter cable disposed in the shaft. 
       FIG. 1  shows, schematically, a preferred embodiment of an elevator system  10  according to the invention, which is installed in a vertical shaft  12  of a building under construction. The elevator system  10  comprises a temporary machine compartment  14  which is releasably secured in the shaft with the aid of attachment members  15 ,  16 . A drive device  18  for the elevator system  10 , with a driving disk  19 , which is driven by a motor and can be braked by means of a brake that is known per se (and is not shown in the drawing for the purpose of improved clarity), is positioned in the machine compartment  14 . 
     The drive device  18  is coupled to a car  23  and to a counterweight  25  via a supporting cable  21 . The car is held in a vertically displaceable manner on first guiding rails  27 ,  28  which are secured in the shaft  12 . Guiding rails (not shown in the drawing for the purpose of improved clarity) are also used for guiding the counterweight  25 . 
     The car  23  can be moved vertically upward and downward along the first guiding rails  27 ,  28  by means of the drive device  18  and the driving disk  19 . 
     In order to be able to limit the speed of the car  23  in the event of a fault, a speed limiter  30  is arranged on the car  23 , which speed limiter cooperates with a first cable section  32  of a speed limiter cable  34 . As explained above, in other examples such as that shown in  FIG. 3 , the speed limiter  30  may be disposed on the counterweight  25 . The speed limiter  30  has, as is conventional, a cable roll  36  around which the first cable section  32  is guided in an Ω shape. Two deflection pulleys  38 ,  40  are used to feed the first cable section  32  to the cable roll  36 . On the cable roll  36  there are arranged centrifugal bodies which are known per se to a person skilled in the art and are therefore not shown in the drawing for the purpose of improved clarity, and which, if the speed of the car  23  exceeds a predetermined value, connect the cable roll  36  via a linkage  44  to a gripping device  42  arranged on the car  23 , which gripping device is then triggered by the cable roll  36 . The gripping device  42  cooperates, via brake elements which are known per se to a person skilled in the art and are therefore not shown in the drawing for the purpose of improved clarity, with the first guiding rails  27 ,  28 , such that, if the speed of the car  23  exceeds a predetermined value, the car  23  is braked by means of the brake elements of the gripping device  42 . 
     The first cable section  32  is clamped between a cable retainer  46  that is arranged in a temporary machine compartment  14  and a releasable clamping device  50  arranged in the lower region  48  of the shaft  12 . A second cable section  52  connects to the first cable section  32  of the speed limiter cable  34  in the lower shaft region  48 , the end portion of which second cable section is wound, in the embodiment shown, onto a cable drum  56  that is mounted rotatably on the floor  54  of the shaft  12 . The lower shaft region  48  thus forms a storage region for the second cable section  52 . Alternatively, as illustrated in  FIG. 3 , for instance, the second cable section could also be stored outside the shaft  12 , for example in an adjacent space. 
     As is evident in  FIG. 2 , the releasable clamping device  50  comprises a carriage  58  which is positioned between two second guiding rails  60 ,  61  and is held on these so as to be displaceable in the vertical direction. For the purpose of improved clarity, a first guiding rail  28  arranged laterally next to the second guiding rails  60 ,  61  is shown in a dashed line in  FIG. 2 . 
     The carriage  58  has a retaining section  62  which is oriented away from the shaft floor  54  and a recess section  64  which is oriented toward the shaft floor  54 . Multiple weight elements  66  are held in the recess section  64  and can be inserted into the recess section  64  without the use of tools. A cable clamp  68 , which is rigidly connected to the carriage  58 , is held on the retaining section  62 . The cable clamp  68  has two clamping jaws (not shown in the drawing) which can be moved back and forth between a clamping position and a release position. In the clamping position, they clamp the speed limiter cable  34  between them and in their release position they release the speed limiter cable  34 . 
     When the elevator system  10  is in operation, the speed limiter cable  34  is clamped between the clamping jaws of the cable clamp  68  and the weight elements  66  apply a vertically downward-oriented clamping force on the first cable section  32 . No clamping force acts on the second cable section  52 , which adjoins the first cable section  32  in the lower shaft region  48 , in contrast to the first cable section  32 . The second cable section extends loosely from the cable clamp  68 , via a deflection pulley  70  arranged at the lower end of the carriage  58 , to the cable drum  56  arranged on the shaft floor  54 , onto which drum the end portion of the second cable section  52  is wound. This end portion forms a cable store for the speed limiter cable  34 . 
     As already mentioned, the elevator system  10  can be installed in the shaft of a building under construction. As construction progresses, the elevator system  10  can be moved stepwise vertically upward in the shaft  12 . To that end, the machine compartment  14  can be raised once the attachment members  15 ,  16  have been moved from their retaining position (shown in  FIG. 1 ) into a release position (not shown in the drawing). Once the machine compartment  14  has been raised, it can again be temporarily secured in the shaft  12  by means of the attachment members  15 ,  16 . When moving the machine compartment  14 , the cable clamp  68  is released such that a lengthening section of the speed limiter cable  34  can be unwound from the cable drum  56 . Once the desired height for the machine compartment  14  has been reached, the speed limiter cable  34  can again be securely clamped by means of the cable clamp  68 . Normal operation of the elevator system  10  can then resume. 
     Lengthening the speed limiter cable  34  when moving the temporary machine compartment  12  thus proves very simple. A cable store of the speed limiter cable  14  is kept ready in a storage region by means of the cable drum  56  and a desired lengthening section can be supplied simply to the effective length of the speed limiter cable  34 , i.e. to the first cable section  32  extending between the cable retainer  56  and the cable clamp  68 .