Patent Publication Number: US-7222697-B2

Title: Elevator

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The present invention relates to an elevator, and more particularly, to an elevator including multiple pulley sets. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   With the rapid development of industry and commerce, a large population migrates to cities. In order to meet the inhabitation need, the buildings in city are prompted to be higher and higher. Since the stories of buildings are inevitably increasing, elevators have become the essential installations of high buildings for the convenience of the users in the buildings. 
   Since elevators have become the essential installations for shuttling between stories, the utility rate has reached a high position. Furthermore, with the increase of building height as well as the close relation between the safety of elevators and the safety of individuals, the safety of elevators has become even more important. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   Therefore, one objective of the present invention is to provide an elevator including a plurality of series connected pulley sets, so that the gravity load of one pulley set can be lowered to decrease the pulling force of a steel rope, and the rotary torque force of a rotary wheel within the elevator can be reduced. 
   Another objective of the present invention is to provide an elevator, in which a rotary wheel, a carriage and pulley sets installed on the carriage are integrated, so that the whole carrying load of the elevator can be absorbed by the rotary wheel. 
   Still another objective of the present invention is to provide an elevator, in which a rotary wheel of the elevator includes a reverse-proof device and a hand brake device, and the elevator is a of multi-lines hoisting design, so that when one of the steel ropes is snapped, the other of the steel ropes can work separately to enhance the safety. 
   Further another objective of the present invention is to provide an elevator suitable for applying in fire-fighting equipments, so as to solve the problem of narrow range of the firefighter&#39;s tower ladder to save life in an emergency. 
   According to the aforementioned objectives, the present invention provides an elevator, comprising: a first series connected pulley set installed in a fixing frame, in which the first series connected pulley set comprises a first pulley fixing frame and a plurality of first pulleys installed in the first pulley fixing frame, the first pulleys have different sizes, and the first pulleys are arranged in sizes from top to bottom; a carriage located below the first series connected pulley set; a second series connected pulley set installed on the top of the carriage and corresponding to the first series connected pulley set, in which the second series connected pulley set comprises a second pulley fixing frame and a plurality of second pulleys installed in the second pulley fixing frame, the amount of the second pulleys is the same with that of the first pulleys, the second pulleys have different sizes, and the second pulleys are arranged in sizes from bottom to top; a rotary wheel installed in the carriage; and a steel rope connecting the first series connected pulley set, the second series connected pulley set and the rotary wheel, in which one end of the steel rope is fixed to the first pulley fixing frame, the steel rope alternately connects the second pulleys and the first pulleys from the smallest one of the second pulleys to the largest one of the first pulleys by using the end of the steel rope fixed to the first pulley fixing frame as a beginning and a outward spiral method, and the other end of the steel rope is connected to the rotary wheel. 
   According to the aforementioned objectives, the present invention provides an elevator, comprising: a first upper pulley set, in which the first upper pulley set comprises a plurality of first upper pulleys installed side by side in a fixing frame; a second upper pulley set located beside one side of the first upper pulley set, in which the second upper pulley set comprises a plurality of second upper pulleys installed side by side in the fixing frame; a carriage located below the first upper pulley set and the second upper pulley set; a first lower pulley set corresponding to the first upper pulley set, in which the first lower pulley set comprises a plurality of first lower pulleys installed side by side on a top of the carriage, and the amount of the first lower pulleys is the same with that of the first upper pulleys; a second lower pulley set located beside the first lower pulley set and corresponding to the second upper pulley set, in which the second lower pulley set comprises a plurality of second lower pulleys installed side by side on the top of the carriage, and the amount of the second lower pulleys is the same with that of the second upper pulleys; a rotary wheel installed in the carriage, in which the carriage comprises a partition member to divide the rotary wheel into a first reel region and a second reel region; a first steel rope connecting the first upper pulleys, the first lower pulleys and the rotary wheel, in which one end of the first steel rope is fixed to the fixing frame beside the other side of the first upper pulley set, the first steel rope alternately connects the first lower pulleys and the first upper pulleys from the closest one of the first lower pulleys by using the end of the first steel rope fixed to the fixing frame as a beginning, and the other end of the first steel rope is connected to the first reel region of the rotary wheel; and a second steel rope connecting the second upper pulleys, the second lower pulleys and the rotary wheel, in which one end of the second steel rope is fixed to the fixing frame beside one side of the second upper pulley set far away from the first upper pulley set, the second steel rope alternately connects the second lower pulleys and the second upper pulleys from the closest one of the second lower pulleys by using the end of the second steel rope fixed to the fixing frame as a beginning, and the other end of the second steel rope is connected to the second reel region of the rotary wheel. 
   According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the rotary wheel further comprises a reverse-proof device and a hand brake device. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will become more readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
       FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram showing an elevator in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram showing an elevator in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   The present invention discloses an elevator, which can reduce the gravity load and the pulling force of a steel rope, and the elevator can achieve superior safety performance. In order to make the illustration of the present invention more explicit and complete, the following description is stated with reference to  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
     FIG. 1  is a schematic diagram showing an elevator in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. An elevator  100  is of a single-line hoisting design. The elevator  100  is mainly composed of a pulley set  104 , a pulley set  114 , a carriage  132 , a rotary wheel  130 , and a steel rope  124 . The pulley set  104  is installed in a fixing frame  102 , in which the pulley set  104  is composed of a pulley fixing frame  106 , a pulley  108 , a pulley  110  and a pulley  112 , and the pulley  108 , the pulley  110  and the pulley  112  are fixed in the pulley fixing frame  106  in series. The pulley  108 , the pulley  110  and the pulley  112  have different sizes, in which the pulley  108  is the larger while the pulley  112  is the smallest. The pulley  108 , the pulley  110  and the pulley  112  are series connected in sizes from top to bottom, i.e. the pulley  108  is at the top, the pulley  110  is in the middle and the pulley  112  is at the bottom. 
   The carriage  132  is located below the pulley set  104 , in which one side surface of the carriage  132  is set with a movable door (not shown) as the entrance for people and goods. The rotary wheel  130  is installed in the carriage  132 , in which the rotary wheel  130  is fixed to the underneath of a top plate of the carriage  132 . The rotary wheel  130  is an important component of the elevator  100 , and the rising and the descending of the elevator  100  can be controlled by operating the rotary wheel  130 . In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the rotary wheel  130  is set with a reverse-proof device (not shown) to prevent the rotary wheel  130  from reversing caused by gravity, thereby avoiding the elevator  100  descending unexpectedly. The rotary wheel  130  may be additionally set with a hand brake device (not shown) for further protection. 
   The pulley set  114 , which is corresponding to the pulley set  104 , is fixedly installed on the upper side of the top plate of the carriage  132 , in which the amount of the pulleys of the pulley set  114  is the same with that of the pulleys of the pulley set  104 . The pulley set  114  is composed of a pulley fixing frame  116 , a pulley  118 , a pulley  120  and a pulley  122 , in which the pulley  118 , the pulley  120  and the pulley  122  are fixed in the pulley fixing frame  116  in series. The pulley  118 , the pulley  120  and the pulley  122  have different sizes, in which the pulley  118  is the larger while the pulley  122  is the smallest. Contrary to the pulley set  104 , the pulley  118 , the pulley  120  and the pulley  122  are series connected in sizes from bottom to top, i.e. the pulley  122  is at the top, the pulley  120  is in the middle and the pulley  118  is at the bottom. 
   The pulley set  104 , the pulley set  114  and the rotary wheel  130  are connected by the steel rope  124 , in which the steel rope  124  has a plastic cover. A front end  126  of the steel rope  124  is fixed to the pulley fixing frame  106 , the steel rope  124  alternately connects the pulleys of the pulley set  114  and the pulley set  104  from the pulley  122 , which is the smallest one in the pulley set  114 , to the pulley  108 , which is the largest one in the pulley set  104  by using the front end  126  of the steel rope  124  as a beginning and an outward spiral method, and a rear end  128  of the steel rope  124  is connected to the rotary wheel  130 , i.e. the steel rope  124  is extended downward to connect the pulley  122  from the pulley fixing frame  106 , next upward to connect the pulley  112 , then downward to connect the pulley  120 , subsequently upward to connect the pulley  110 , next downward to connect the pulley  118 , and then upward to connect the pulley  108 . Afterward, the rear end  128  of the steel rope  124  is connected to the rotary wheel  130 . Therefore, the rotary wheel  130  can be driven by the steel rope  124  to hoist or descend the elevator  100 . 
   Each of the pulley set  104  and the pulley set  114  includes three pulleys, so the steel rope  124  is divided into six hoisting portions between the pulley set  104  and the pulley set  114 . The load of the elevator  100  are equally shared out between the six hoisting portions, so that the gravity load and the pulling force of the steel rope  124  can be decreased, and the torque force of the rotary wheel  130  can be reduced, thereby achieving the effect of increasing a safety factor of the elevator  100 . 
   In an embodiment, a diameter of the steel rope  124  is about 3/16 inch, the load-carrying limitation of each hoisting portion of the steel rope  124  is up to 475 kilograms, and there are six hoisting portions in the elevator  100  to share the whole carrying load, so the pulley apparatus of the present embodiment can bear a total of 2850 kilograms. Provided that a 160-kilogram load is carried, and the amount weight of the pulley set  104 , the pulley set  114 , the carriage  132  and the rotary wheel  130  is 100 kilograms, that is the pulley apparatus has to bear a total load of 260 kilograms, the safety factor of the elevator  100  will be over 10 times. 
   In the present invention, the amount of the pulleys of the pulley set  104  and the pulley set  114  is not limited to the aforementioned embodiment and can be adjusted according to practical needs. 
     FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram showing an elevator in accordance with another preferred embodiment of the present invention. An elevator  200  is of dual-lines hoisting design, in which the elevator  200  is mainly composed of a pulley set  204 , a pulley set  226 , a pulley set  238 , a pulley set  250 , a carriage  272 , a rotary wheel  264 , a steel rope  252  and a steel rope  258 . The pulley set  204  is composed of a pulley  206 , a pulley  208 , a pulley  210 , a pulley  212  and a pulley  214  side by side fixed to a fixing frame  202 . The pulley set  226  is installed to the fixing frame  202  beside the pulley set  204 , in which the pulley set  226  is composed of a pulley  216 , a pulley  218 , a pulley  220 , a pulley  222  and a pulley  224  side by side fixed to the fixing frame  202 . 
   The carriage  272  is located below the pulley set  204  and the pulley set  226 , in which one side surface of the carriage  272  is set with a movable door (not shown) as the entrance for people and goods. The rotary wheel  264  is installed in the carriage  272 , in which the rotary wheel  264  is fixed to the underneath of a top plate of the carriage  272 . The rotary wheel  264  is an important component of the elevator  200 , and the rising and the descending of the elevator  200  can be controlled by operating the rotary wheel  264 . A partition member  266  is installed in the rotary wheel  264  to divided the rotary wheel into a reel region  268  and a reel region  270 , so as to prevent the steel ropes from entwining with each other. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the rotary wheel  264  is set with a reverse-proof device (not shown) and a hand brake device (not shown), in which the reverse-proof device can prevent the rotary wheel  264  from reversing caused by gravity to avoid the elevator  200  descending unexpectedly, and the hand brake device is provided for further protection. 
   The pulley set  238  is composed of a pulley  228 , a pulley  230 , a pulley  232 , a pulley  234  and a pulley  236  side by side fixed to an upper side of a top plate of the carriage  272 , in which the amount of the pulleys of the pulley set  238  is the same with that of the pulleys of the pulley set  204 , and the pulley set  238  is corresponding to the pulley set  204 . The pulley set  250  is installed on the upper side of the top plate of the carriage  272  beside the pulley set  238 , in which the pulley set  250  is composed of a pulley  240 , a pulley  242 , a pulley  244 , a pulley  246  and a pulley  248  side by side fixed to the carriage  272 , the amount of the pulleys of the pulley set  250  is the same with that of the pulleys of the pulley set  226 , and the pulley set  250  is corresponding to the pulley set  226 . 
   It is worthy of note that the amount of the pulleys of the pulley set  204 , the pulley set  226 , the pulley set  238  and the pulley set  250  is not limited to the aforementioned description and can depend on practical needs. In the present invention, it is only to make the pullet set  204  and the corresponding pullet set  238  have the same amount of the pulleys, and the pullet set  226  and the corresponding pullet set  250  have the same amount of the pulleys. 
   The pulley set  204 , the pulley set  238  and the rotary wheel  264  are connected by the steel rope  252 , in which the steel rope  252  has a plastic cover. A front end  254  of the steel rope  252  is fixed to the fixing frame  202  beside one side of the pulley set  204  far away from the pulley set  226 , the steel rope  252  alternately connects the pulleys of the pulley set  238  and the pulley set  204  from the pulley  228 , which is closest to the front end  254  of the steel rope  252 , by using the front end  254  of the steel rope  252  as a beginning, and a rear end  256  of the steel rope  252  is connected to the reel region  268  of the rotary wheel  264 , i.e. the steel rope  252  is extended downward to connect the pulley  228  from the fixing frame  202 , next upward to connect the pulley  206 , then downward to connect the pulley  230 , subsequently upward to connect the pulley  208 , next downward to connect the pulley  232 , then upward to connect the pulley  210 , downward to connect the pulley  234 , upward to connect the pulley  212 , downward to connect the pulley  236  and subsequently upward to connect the pulley  214 , and then the rear end  256  of the steel rope  252  is connected to the reel region  268  of the rotary wheel  264 . 
   Similarly, the pulley set  226 , the pulley set  250  and the rotary wheel  264  are connected by the steel rope  258 , in which the steel rope  258  has a plastic cover. A front end  260  of the steel rope  258  is fixed to the fixing frame  202  beside one side of the pulley set  226  far away from the pulley set  204 , the steel rope  258  alternately connects the pulleys of the pulley set  250  and the pulley set  226  from the pulley  240 , which is closest to the front end  260  of the steel rope  258 , by using the front end  260  of the steel rope  258  as a beginning, and a rear end  262  of the steel rope  258  is connected to the reel region  270  of the rotary wheel  264 , i.e. the steel rope  258  is extended downward to connect the pulley  240  from the fixing frame  202 , next upward to connect the pulley  216 , then downward to connect the pulley  242 , subsequently upward to connect the pulley  218 , next downward to connect the pulley  244 , then upward to connect the pulley  220 , downward to connect the pulley  246 , upward to connect the pulley  222 , downward to connect the pulley  248  and subsequently upward to connect the pulley  224 , and then the rear end  262  of the steel rope  258  is connected to the reel region  270  of the rotary wheel  264 . Both the steel rope  252  and the steel rope  258  can drive the rotary wheel  264  to hoist or descend the elevator  200 . 
   Each of the pulley set  204 , the pulley set  238 , the pulley set  226  and the pulley set  250  includes five pulleys, so the steel rope  252  is divided into ten hoisting portions between the pulley set  204  and the pulley set  238 , and the steel rope  258  is divided into ten hoisting portions between the pulley set  226  and the pulley set  250 . The load of the elevator  200  are equally shared out between the ten hoisting portions of the steel rope  252  and the ten hoisting portions of the steel rope  258 , so that the gravity load and the pulling force of the steel rope  252  and the steel rope  258  can be greatly decreased, and the torque force of the rotary wheel  264  can be reduced, thereby effectively increasing a safety factor of the elevator  200 . 
   In an embodiment, diameters of the steel rope  252  and the steel rope  258  are about 3/16 inch, the load-carrying limitation of each hoisting portion of the steel rope  252  and the steel rope  258  is up to 475 kilograms, and there are twenty hoisting portions in the elevator  200  to share the whole carrying load, so each steel rope of the present embodiment can bear a load of 4750 kilograms, and the pulley apparatus can bear a total of 9500 kilograms. Provided that a 320-kilogram load is carried, and the amount weight of the pulley set  204 , the pulley set  226 , the pulley set  238  and the pulley set  250 , the carriage  272  and the rotary wheel  264  is 100 kilograms, that is the pulley apparatus has to bear a total load of 420 kilograms, the safety factor of the elevator  200  will be over 10 times by only one steel rope. 
   In the present invention, in every rising or descending of the elevator  200 , the two steel ropes work simultaneously. When one of the steel ropes of the elevator  200  is snapped by accident in working, the other of the steel rope can bear the whole weight to keep working, so as to temporarily insure safety of the elevator  200 . 
   It should be noted that the amount of the pulley sets in the present embodiment is not limited to the aforementioned description and can be adjusted according to practical needs, the upper pulley sets and the lower pulley sets must have the same amount, and the upper pulley sets and the lower pulley sets are corresponding to each other. 
   According to the aforementioned description, one advantage of the present invention is that because the elevator in the present invention includes a plurality of series connected pulley sets, the gravity load and the pulling force of a steel rope can be decreased, and the rotary torque force of a rotary wheel of the elevator can be reduced. 
   According to the aforementioned description, another advantage of the present invention is that a rotary wheel, a carriage and pulley sets installed on the carriage are integrated, so that the whole carrying load of the elevator can be absorbed by the rotary wheel. 
   According to the aforementioned description, a further advantage of the present invention is that a rotary wheel of the elevator includes a reverse-proof device and a hand brake device, and the elevator is of a multi-lines hoisting design, so that when one of the steel ropes is snapped, the other of the steel ropes can work separately to further enhance the safety. 
   As is understood by a person skilled in the art, the foregoing preferred embodiments of the present invention are illustrated of the present invention rather than limiting of the present invention. It is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims, the scope of which should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar structure.