Patent Publication Number: US-9845225-B2

Title: Elevator landing door arrangement

Description:
The present invention relates to an elevator landing door arrangement for the installation in a landing door opening of an elevator shaft. This arrangement typically comprises a door jamb which comprises vertical door jamb parts and a horizontally extending upper door jamb part, which are connected in one piece or are rather mounted together to form the landing door frame. The door jamb is connected with a protective element which closes the gap between the door jamb and the landing door opening of an elevator shaft which is usually provided in a concrete shaft wall. On this behalf, usually plates are screwed to the door jamb as protective elements which abut against a surface of the elevator shaft wall facing the elevator shaft. This connection between the shaft wall, the protective plate and the door jamb provides required fireproof characteristics and prevents smoke from passing through the gap between the door jamb and the landing door opening. Currently, a lot of screws are used to fix the protective element tightly to the door jamb to get a tight connection thereof. 
     The JP H10 7356 A as well as the JP 2014 069966 A disclose an elevator door arrangement for installation in a landing door opening of an elevator shaft wall. 
     It is object of the present invention to provide a smoke barrier in a landing door arrangement in a more efficient way. 
     This object is solved with a landing door arrangement for installation in a landing door opening of an elevator shaft wall, which arrangement comprises at least one door jamb and at least one protective element fixed at the door jamb, the protective element having a fixing portion which is connected to the door jamb and a sealing portion which butts against an elevator shaft wall, whereby either the fixing portion passes around a carrier element of the door jamb or the carrier element extends around the fixing portion of the protective element. Preferred embodiments of the arrangement are subject-matter of the dependent claims. Inventive embodiments are also presented in the description part and drawings of the present application. The inventive content may also consist of several separate inventions, especially if the invention is considered in the light of explicit or implicit sub-tasks or with respect to advantages achieved. In this case, some of the attributes contained in the claims below may be superfluous from the point of view of separate inventive concepts. The features of different embodiments of the invention can be applied in connection with other embodiments within the scope of the basic inventive concept. 
     Whereas in conventional arrangements the protective element is simply screwed onto a surface of the door jamb, according to the invention the protective element has a fixing portion facing the door jamb which passes, e.g. is bent, around a carrier element of the door jamb. In another alternative embodiment, the carrier element passes around the fixing portion of the protective element. Although both alternatives are possible to provide a better sealing against the passing of smoke through the gap between the door jamb and the landing door opening, the first alternative is preferred because it is easier to provide the protective element with a bent fixing end. Of course the bending of the fixing portion can be made by bending a metal sheet plate or by moulding a protective element as to have a curve or bending, which passes around the carrier element. By the measure, that one of the protective element or the carrier element passes around the other one, a kind of labyrinth seal is formed, which prevents smoke from passing though that connection. On the other hand that bending facilitates the installation of the protective element at the door jambs because when the bending of the fixing portion of the protective element butts against the free edge of carrier element the protective element is in its correct position with respect to the door jamb. 
     According to the invention the carrier element is a fixing ridge of the door jamb which is either provided additionally to the door jamb profile, e.g. as a separate part or in a simple solution forms an integral part of the door jamb profile. This has the advantage that the door jamb profile does not particularly be modified to carry the protective element. So only a of the door jamb profile having a free edge is used as the carrier element. 
     According to the invention the fixing ridge of the door jamb is a one piece part together with the door jamb. This arrangement has the advantage that the number of parts to be used in the construction of the arrangement is lessened. On the other hand, there are no further gaps to be sealed to meet fire protection regulations. 
     Preferably, the fixing portion is passed around the carrier element, e.g. via a bending by 180 degrees so that it butts against the carrier element on opposite sides which improves the density of the abutting connection between the protective element and the carrier element of the doorjamb. 
     Of course, the carrier element is preferably further fixed to the carrier element by fixing elements, preferably bolts, particularly by screw bolts which pass through the carrier element and the two layers of the fixing portion of the protective element passing around the carrier element. If the carrier element passes around the fixing portion of the protective element, the screws for fixing the protective element to the door jamb go through two layers of the carrier element and one layer in between of the protective element. In either arrangement, less screw bolts or other fixing elements are necessary to keep the protective element tightly to the door jamb as to provide a safe smoke barrier between the door jamb and the landing door opening in the elevator shaft wall. 
     Preferably, two parts of the fixing portion of the protective element adjacent the bending are fixed together via fixing elements, preferably bolts, with the carrier element in between. This arrangement is extremely easy to install as the protective element can be placed with its opening against the carrier element of the door jamb and then drawn so that the carrier element inserts into the adjacent portions of the fixing element adjacent to the bending. The fixing is easy by making perforations through the layers and securing the perforations with bolts, particularly with screw bolts. Such a fixing is also fireproof and meets the requirement for fire protection. 
     Preferably, the carrier element or fixing ridge is arranged on of forms a backside part of the door jamb profile facing to the elevator shaft. At that side, a door jamb profile building the door jamb may be open so that this profile back wall may have a free edge around which the bent fixing portion of the protective element can pass. This embodiment is easy to produce, leaves the option of the fixing of a protective element to the door jamb open and does not affect the optical impression of the door jamb parts visible by the users of the elevator. 
     Preferably, the fixing portion of the protective element is located at the opposite end of the sealing portion so that the complete area of the protective element in between can effectively seal the gap between the door jamb and the elevator shaft wall. 
     Preferably, the fixing the carrier element (or fixing ridge) and the door jamb are made of metal which meets the safety requirements for door jambs and the corresponding protective elements in elevators with respect to fire-protection regulations. 
     Of course, the door jamb may have vertically extending door jamb parts as well as an upper horizontally extending door jamb part which build together the door jamb of the landing door which is to be sealed against the surrounding concrete wall of the elevator shaft. 
     In a very economic solution of the invention, the protective element is a metal sheet plate. Anyway, it may consist of any material which corresponds to fire-protection regulations, e.g. polymer-concrete etc. 
     Of course, the invention also refers to an elevator comprising an arrangement according to the above-described specifications, whereby this arrangement is located in a landing opening of an elevator shaft wall which is preferably made of concrete. 
    
    
     
       The invention is now schematically explained by means of an embodiment, whereby 
         FIG. 1  shows a horizontal cross-section through the connecting area between a vertical door jamb part and the adjacent concrete elevator shaft wall. 
     
    
    
       FIG. 1  shows an elevator landing door arrangement  10  located in a landing door opening  12  which is provided in a concrete elevator shaft wall  14  of an elevator. The arrangement comprises a door jamb  16  embodied as a rectangular door jamb profile with a front part  18 , a first side part  20  facing the landing area, a second side part  22  facing the landing opening  12  and a first backside part  24  having a free edge  26  and a second backside part  27  which two backside parts  24 ,  27  together form the backside of the door jamb profile  16  facing the elevator shaft. The first backside part  24  of the door jamb profile  16  forms a carrier element for supporting a protective element  30  closing the gap  40  between the door jamb profile  16  and the concrete shaft wall  14 . Accordingly, connected to the carrier element  24  and passing around its free edge  26  is a fixing portion  28  of the—preferably plate-like—protective element  30  which butts with its sealing portion  32  against the shaft side surface  34  of the elevator shaft wall  14 . The fixing portion  28  of the protective element  30  has a bending  36  which surrounds the free edge  26  of the carrier element  24  of the door jamb profile  16 . Via this arrangement, the fixing portion  28  of the protective element  30  butts tight against the carrier element  24  of the door jamb profile at two surfaces in a kind of labyrinth seal, so that no smoke or fire can pass this connection. 
     The connection between the door jamb profile  16  and the protective element  30  is secured by fixing elements  38 , particularly bolts, particularly screw bolts, which pass through the two layers of the fixing portion  28  of the protective element  30  adjacent to the bending  36 , and through the carrier element  24  located in between. The fixing elements  38  therefore press these three layers together so that this connection is tight against passing smoke or fire. Via this means, the protective element  30  is in a sealed manner and rigidly connected to the door jamb profile  16  so that the gap  40  between the door jamb  16  and the elevator shaft wall  14  (whose width is exaggerated in the FIGURE for clarity reasons) is effectively closed. 
     It shall be clear for the skilled person that the invention is not restricted to the shown embodiment but may be varied within the scope of the appended patent claims.