Patent Publication Number: US-11377324-B2

Title: Jump elevator and jumping method

Description:
FOREIGN PRIORITY 
     This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 201810954999.1, filed Aug. 21, 2018, and all the benefits accruing therefrom under 35 U.S.C. § 119, the contents of which in its entirety are herein incorporated by reference. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present application relates to the field of elevator construction and operation, and more particularly to a jump elevator that enables the lifting of an elevator machine room during construction of the building. The application also relates to a jumping method for a jump elevator. 
     BACKGROUND TECHNIQUE 
     It is known that jump elevators (jumplift) are often used in the construction of multi-story buildings. The machine room of the elevator should be gradually elevated as the number of building construction increases. 
     However, the lifting structure of the existing jump elevator is relatively complicated and needs to be operated by a relatively complicated jumping method. Such a jump elevator and jumping method result in relatively high operating costs and time consumption. 
     Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an improved jump elevator and jumping method solution that is capable of avoiding or ameliorating the above problems, at least to some extent. 
     SUMMARY 
     One object of the present application to provide a jump elevator that is capable of reducing operating costs and time consumption while achieving rapid lifting. Another object of the present application is to provide a jumping method. 
     An embodiment includes a jump elevator including a machine room provided in the hoistway and configured to be fixed or movable relative to the hoistway; at least one lifting assembly comprising: a frame attached to the outside of the hoistway and partially extending into the hoistway; a pulley assembly including a winch, a fixed end, and a plurality of pulleys disposed on the machine room and the frame; wherein a pulling line is disposed between the winch, the plurality of pulleys, and the fixed end; wherein the at least one lifting assembly is disposed below the covering portion of the hoistway. 
     The jump elevator and the jumping method of the present application have the advantages of simple structure, easy manufacture, convenient installation and reliable implementation, and can improve the operating efficiency of the jump elevator and the construction efficiency of the building. 
    
    
     
       DRAWING DESCRIPTION 
       The present application will be further described in details below with reference to the accompanying drawings and preferred embodiments, but those skilled in the art will understand that the drawings are only for the purpose of explaining the preferred embodiments, and therefore should not be restrictions on the scope of application. In addition, the drawings are only intended to be illustrative of the composition or construction of the described objects and may include exaggerated representations, and the drawings are not necessarily to scale. 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of one embodiment of a jump elevator of the present application. 
         FIG. 2  is a partial enlarged view of the embodiment in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B in  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Preferred embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the description is only illustrative, exemplary, and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the application. 
     First of all, it should be noted that the terms top, bottom, upward, downward, etc. mentioned herein are defined with respect to the directions in the respective drawings, they are relative concepts, and thus can be varied in different locations and in different practical states. Therefore, these or other orientation terms should not be construed as limiting terms. 
     In addition, it should be noted that any single technical feature described or implied in the embodiments herein, or any single technical feature shown or implied in the drawings, can still be combinations between the two to obtain other embodiments of the present application that are not directly mentioned herein. 
     It should be noted that in the different drawings, the same reference numerals refer to the same or substantially the same assembles. 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of one embodiment of a jump elevator of the present application. Wherein, the elevator  100  according to the present application comprises: a machine room  110  installed within the hoistway  200  and configured to be fixed or movable relative to the hoistway  200 ; at least one lifting assembly  120  selectively changing the height of the machine room  110  in the hoistway  200 . 
     Wherein, the lifting assembly  120  includes: a frame  120   a  attached to the outside of the hoistway  200  and partially extending into the hoistway  200 ; a pulley assembly including a winch  130 , a fixed end  140 , and a plurality of pulley disposed on the machine room  110  and the frame  120   a , wherein a traction line  150  is disposed between the winch  130 , the plurality of pulleys, and the fixed end  140 . 
     It will be readily appreciated that for the purpose of protecting the building and preventing leakage, a hood or covering portion is often provided within the hoistway  200  to seal the hoistway  200 , so as to prevent undesired entry of ambient air and precipitation into the hoistway  200 . The lifting assembly  120  according to the present application is provided below the covering portion and can be placed on a finished or unfinished floor. In the illustrated embodiment, the location of the cover is not shown for the sake of clarity. It is easy to understand that the height of the covering portion can be changed as the construction progresses. 
     In one embodiment, the covering portion may be a slip form. Therefore, by employing the lifting assembly  120  of the present application, the position of the machine room  110  can be adjusted without removing the covering portion, thereby improving the efficiency of adjusting the position of the machine room  110 . 
     In the illustrated embodiment, the machine room  110  is provided with a machine platform  111 , a control platform  112 , and a work platform  113  in order from bottom to top. The machine room  110  is provided with a plurality of telescopic columns  110   a  sized to fit with the receptacles  210   a  on the inner wall of the hoistway  200 . The plurality of columns  110   a  are configured to expand and contract substantially in the horizontal direction, and the accommodation portion  210   a  on the inner wall of the hoistway  200  is configured as notches that extend in a substantially horizontal direction. 
     As used herein, “horizontal direction” refers to a plane that is generally perpendicular to the vertical direction, that is, the plane in which the floor of the building is normally located. In the illustrated embodiment, the column  110   a  and the receptacle  210   a  are configured to extend substantially in a horizontal direction. However, the column  110   a  may also be disposed at an angle to the horizontal direction according to actual needs. At this time, the receptacle  210   a  is also configured to have a corresponding angle to support the machine room  100  while accommodating the column  110   a . Similarly, “vertical direction” as used herein refers to the direction in which gravity acts, hoistway  200  generally extends in a vertical direction and jump elevator  100  is designed to carry personnel and material in a vertical direction. 
     A plurality of sets of receptacles can be disposed within the hoistway  200  in a vertical orientation, so as to support the machine room  110  at different heights and floors. 
     Further, in the illustrated embodiment, a plurality of columns  110   a  are disposed at the bottom of the machine platform  111 . However, the illustrated embodiment is merely illustrative, and a plurality of posts may be disposed at other locations of the machine room  110 , such as on the side of the work platform  113  or the control platform  112 . In one embodiment, a plurality of posts may also be disposed at the top of the work platform  113 . 
     The plurality of column  110   a  and receptacles  210   a  may be evenly distributed around the perimeter of the machine room  110  or may be arranged with any other suitable spacing. For example, the plurality of columns  110   a  may be disposed at an angle relative to each other, or disposed in parallel with each other, or partially parallel to each other and partially at an angle. As long as these arrangements provide sufficient support for the machine room  110 , the present application is intended to cover such variations and modifications. 
     Moreover, although not shown in the drawings, the elevator  100  according to the present application may further include a car and a counterweight disposed below the machine platform  111 . 
     Although a single lifting assembly  120  is illustrated in the illustrated embodiment, two or more lift assemblies  120  may be employed to adjust the position of the machine room  110  as desired. These lifting assemblies can be arranged to avoid mutual influence. 
       FIG. 2  is a partial enlarged view of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 ,  FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of  FIG. 1 , and  FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of  FIG. 1 . Wherein, the frame  120   a  includes a first arm  121  and a second arm  122 ; wherein the first end of the first arm  121  and the first end of the second arm  122  extend into the hoistway  200 , and the first pulley  131  and the first pulley  131  are respectively provided on the first end of the first arm  121  and the first end of the second arm  122 ; and wherein the second end of the first arm  121  and the second end of the second arm  132  extend and are secured outside of the hoistway  200 . 
     Specifically, the first arm  121  and the second arm  122  may be configured to be substantially horizontally arranged, and a first end of the first arm  121  and a first end of the second arm  122  are provided with bearings to support the first pulley  131  And a second pulley  132 . The first pulley  131  and the second pulley  132  are thus rotatable relative to the first arm  121  and the second arm  122 . Further, as shown in  FIG. 1 , a third pulley  133  is provided on the top of the machine room  110 , and the third pulley  133  is configured to be rotatable relative to the machine room  110 . The winch  130  is disposed at the second end of the first arm  121  and the fixed end  140  is disposed at the second end of the second arm  122 . 
     One end of the traction wire  150  is attached to the fixed end  140  and the other end is attached to the winch  130 . The traction wire  150  extends through each of the pulleys, to form a movable pulley structure between the first arm  121  and the second arm  122 , and the third pulley  133  is formed as a movable pulley so that the machine room  110  can ascend or descend along with the traction wire  150  when the traction wire  150  is pulled. 
     The winch  130  can be powered by any known source of power, such as an electric motor or an internal combustion engine. The position of the winch  130  may vary depending on actual needs, for example, the position of the winch  130  and the fixed end  140  may be interchanged, or the winch  130  may be disposed at an intermediate position of the first arm  121 . The position of the fixed end  140  can also be changed according to actual needs, for example, at an intermediate position of the second arm  122 . Additionally, the position of the winch  130  and the fixed end  140  can be set such that when fixed in place, the winch  130  and the fixed end  140  are located outside of the hoistway  200 , within the hoistway  200 , or on the sidewall of the hoistway  200 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the first arm  121  and the second arm  122  are spaced apart by a first distance in a vertical direction, wherein the height of the first arm  121  is lower than the height of the second arm  122 . However, other settings may be employed depending on actual needs, such as to make the height of the first arm  121  higher than the height of the second arm  122 . 
     As shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the first arm  121  and the second arm  122  are spaced apart by a second distance in the horizontal direction such that the pull-out end  131   a  of the first pulley and the pull-out end  132   a  of the second pulley are aligned in the vertical direction with the first end  133   a  and the second end  133   b  of the third pulley  133 , respectively. Therefore, in the illustrated embodiment, the first pulley  131  and the second pulley  132  are disposed to be parallel to each other, and the third pulley  133  is disposed to form an angle with the first pulley  131  and the second pulley  132 . If different pulley sizes are used, the above positional relationship will change accordingly. 
     The “pull-out end  131   a  of the first pulley” herein refers to the position of the last contact point between the first pulley  131  and the traction line  150  before the traction line  150  extends vertically downward from the first pulley  131 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , pull-out end  131   a  of the first pulley and the first end  133   a  of the third pulley  133  are positioned adjacent to each other in the vertical direction. Similarly, pull-out end  132   a  of the second pulley and the second end  133   b  of the third pulley  133  are positioned adjacent to each other in the vertical direction. 
     The position of the third pulley  133  is schematically illustrated in  FIGS. 3 and 4  for purposes of clarity. It is easily understood that the third pulley  133  is located below the first pulley  131  and the second pulley  132 . 
     Further, the frame  120   a  further includes a connecting arm  160  to which the first arm  121  and the second arm  122  are attached. In addition, the link arm  160 , the first arm  121 , and/or the second arm  122  are removably secured in position outside of the hoistway  200  by one or more spacer arms. In the illustrated embodiment, the second end of the first arm  121  is attached to the horizontal plane of the building by a spacer arm  161  and the connecting arm  160  is fixed relative to the sidewall of the hoistway  200 . Other suitable connections and fixing methods can also be used according to actual needs. 
     Additionally, the frame  120   a  can also include a stiffener  170  that is coupled between the first arm  121  and the second arm  122 . 
     By employing the jump elevator of the present application, the hoisting operation of the machine room can be carried out by using a lifting assembly including a winch, thereby simplifying the system required for the elevator. According to actual needs, in a single jump operation, the machine room can move over one or more floors. Therefore, the receptacles can be selectively provided on the side wall of the hoistway according to actual needs, thereby reducing the construction cost. 
     The application also provides a jumping method comprising the following steps: 1) installing at least one detachable lifting assembly outside the hoistway above a machine room, wherein the lifting assembly is disposed below the covering portion of the hoistway and configured to suspend the machine room; 2) Separating the machine room from the inner wall of the hoistway; 3) activate the lifting assembly to move the machine room to a target position; and 4) Position the machine room in place relative to the inner wall of the hoistway at the target location. 
     Optionally, the method further includes the following steps: 5) disassembling the lifting assembly. 
     Optionally, steps 2) through 4) are performed a plurality of times before the step 5) is performed, so as to move the machine room to different target positions and fix it in place. 
     The above-described jumping method can be performed by the jumping elevator described above or applied to the jumping elevator described above. Accordingly, all of the features, embodiments, and aspects described above can be employed in the construction of the building by applying the above-described jumping method. 
     It will be readily understood that the target location may be anywhere below the lift assembly and above or below the current location of the machine room. Thus, the jumping method of the present application allows the machine room to pass over one or more floors in a single jump operation and then be fixed in place again. 
     The machine room has a plurality of telescopic columns that are sized to fit into the receptacles on the inner wall of the hoistway. In one embodiment, a plurality of receptacles may be provided at locations corresponding to each floors of the building. In another embodiment, a plurality of receptacles may be selectively disposed at locations of the hoistway  200  corresponding to some floors of the building, and no receptacles are provided at locations of the hoistway  200  corresponding to other floors of the building. 
     By employing the jump elevator of the present application, the height of the machine room of the jump elevator can be changed without removing the covering portion of the hoistway. The lifting assembly of the present application can be reused, or can be used to service the jump elevators in multiple buildings in a time-sharing manner, so as to improve the operation efficiency of the elevator and the construction speed of the building. 
     This application discloses the present application by reference to the drawings, and also to enable those skilled in the art to implement the application, including making and using any device or system, selecting suitable materials, and using any combination. The scope of the present application is defined by the claimed technical solutions and includes other examples that are apparent to those skilled in the art. As long as such other examples include structural elements are not different from the technical language of the claimed technical solution, or such other examples include equivalent structural elements that are not substantially different from the literal language of the claimed technical solution. It should be considered to be within the scope of protection as determined by the technical solution claimed in this application.