Patent Description:
It is known for a dedicated hoistway access ladder to be provided for use in an elevator hoistway, for example to access the elevator pit or elevator car for repairs or maintenance. In conventional approaches, the hoistway ladder apparatus is located in the elevator hoistway in a retracted position, e.g. mounted on a wall of the hoistway, from which it must be retrieved in the event that maintenance is required to be carried out. In this approach, the dimensions of the hoistway must be such that sufficient space for the hoistway access ladder is available. Additionally, when the hoistway access ladder is stored within the hoistway, maintenance personnel may be required to use other equipment, such as ropes or bars, to safely retrieve the hoistway access ladder, the requirements of which will vary depending on the size of the hoistway.

<CIT> describes a system for storing an elevator pit access ladder in which the pit access ladder is detachably held on a landing door panel.

<CIT> describes a system for storing an emergency escape portable ladder in a storage box disposed in a frame arranged on the side of an elevator door. Another storage method known from the prior art is to store the hoistway access ladder within a panel of a hoistway landing door. However, this approach is unsuitable for elevator systems employing sliding landing bay doors. Various doors may not have appropriate dimensions to allow a hoistway access ladder to be stored on or in the doors. Furthermore, the weight of a ladder and its fixings may be detrimental to proper operation of the doors.

The present disclosure seeks to provide an alternative approach.

In an elevator hoistway access ladder storage system as disclosed herein, a hoistway access ladder can be stored in and safely retrieved from the cavity by an operator on the landing without risking the safety of the operator, and without the use of additional equipment such as ropes or bars.

It is desirable for the hoistway access ladder to be securely stored within the cavity in order for it to be prevented from falling into the hoistway
According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided an elevator hoistway access ladder storage system according to claim <NUM>.

In one or more examples of the present disclosure, the rotating support of the elevator hoistway access ladder storage system comprises at least one retaining element arranged to hold a hoistway access ladder in a storage position in the rotating support during use. The use of a retaining element ensures that the hoistway access ladder remains within the rotating support when it is rotated between the first and second positions.

In some examples, the elevator hoistway access ladder storage system includes the at least one retaining element arranged to hold the hoistway access ladder in a storage position in the rotating support during use, and at least one restraining element arranged to hold the rotating support in the interior of the cavity when in the first position. Thus the rotating support may itself be held in its first position in the cavity.

In one or more examples of the present disclosure, the landing door of the elevator hoistway access ladder storage system is a side opening door. In one or more examples of the present disclosure, the landing door of the elevator hoistway access ladder storage system is a telescopic side opening door. The use of a side opening door in the system of the present disclosure simplifies access to the hoistway access ladder that may otherwise be at least partially blocked when central opening landing doors are used.

In one or more examples of the present disclosure, the hoistway access ladder of the elevator hoistway access ladder storage system is a foldable ladder. While the system of the present disclosure can in principle be used with many kinds of folding ladder, in one or more examples of the present disclosure, the hoistway access ladder of the elevator hoistway access ladder storage system is a foldable ladder comprising a pair of uprights connected by rungs, and the hoistway access ladder is foldable into a storage configuration by moving the uprights together.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an elevator system comprising an elevator car arranged to move in an elevator hoistway, and at least one landing in the hoistway comprising a landing doorway, wherein the landing doorway comprises the elevator hoistway access ladder storage system as described in any of the previously described examples.

In one or more examples, the landing doorway of the elevator system is situated at a lowermost landing of the elevator hoistway. In this way the hoistway access ladder storage system may be used to store an elevator hoistway access ladder for access to an elevator pit, i.e. a pit access ladder.

In any of the examples disclosed herein where the door column comprises a cavity, it will appreciated that the cavity may pre-exist in the door column or the cavity may be formed in the door column when creating the elevator hoistway access ladder storage system. In one or more examples, the cavity extends vertically along the door column. The cavity may extend along at least <NUM>%, <NUM>%, <NUM>%, <NUM>%, or <NUM>% of the height of the door column. In one or more examples, in addition or alternatively, the cavity is an open-sided channel, for example an open-sided channel having a width and/or depth much smaller than its length. The cavity and the hoistway access ladder (whether foldable or not) may be dimensioned to match, such that the hoistway access ladder substantially fills the cavity.

According to another aspect of this disclosure, there is provided a method of storing a hoistway access ladder in a landing doorway of an elevator hoistway, the method comprising storing a hoistway access ladder in a cavity of a door column of a landing doorway. The Applicant has realised that at least some existing elevator systems include landing doorways comprising door columns in which there is a pre-existing cavity. The Applicant has realised that such a door column cavity can advantageously be used to store a hoistway access ladder. In order to assist with storing and retrieving the hoistway access ladder, in at least some examples a rotating support for the hoistway access ladder (e.g. as described above) is retrofitted to such a door column.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of storing a hoistway access ladder according to claim <NUM>. Mounting or retrofitting a rotating support to a door column of a landing doorway may allow pre-existing elevator systems to be modified to enable safe and convenient storage of a hoistway access ladder, regardless of whether the door column includes a cavity or not. The rotating support may therefore be mounted during installation of the door column or at a later point in time.

Mounting the rotating support such that it can be positioned within a cavity of a door column reduces the amount of space required in the elevator hoistway that would otherwise be taken up by the rotating support. The Applicant has realised that at least some existing elevator systems include landing doorways comprising door columns in which there is a pre-existing cavity. The Applicant has realised that such a door column cavity can be used to conveniently position a rotating support e.g. in a hidden position within the cavity to store the hoistway access ladder out of sight. As a result, a rotating support may be mounted or retrofitted to the door column of pre-existing elevator systems, improving operator safety when retrieving the hoistway access ladder.

In at least some examples, the rotating support is mounted to a door column of a landing doorway situated at a lowermost landing of an elevator hoistway and the hoistway access ladder is a pit access ladder. Such retrofitting methods provide a rotating support that makes it easier to store and retrieve a pit access ladder, for example for use in elevator hoistways that have a pit depth of less than <NUM>.

Certain examples of this disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:.

<FIG> is a perspective view of an elevator system <NUM> including an elevator car <NUM>, a counterweight <NUM>, one or more load bearing members <NUM>, a guide rail <NUM>, a machine <NUM>, a position encoder <NUM>, and an elevator controller <NUM>. The elevator car <NUM> and counterweight <NUM> are connected to each other by the load bearing members <NUM>. The load bearing members <NUM> may be, for example, ropes, steel cables, and/or coated-steel belts. The counterweight <NUM> is configured to balance a load of the elevator car <NUM> and is configured to facilitate movement of the elevator car <NUM> concurrently and in an opposite direction with respect to the counterweight <NUM> within an elevator hoistway <NUM> and along the guide rail <NUM>.

The load bearing members <NUM> engage the machine <NUM>, which is part of an overhead structure of the elevator system <NUM>.

The elevator controller <NUM> is located, as shown, in a controller room <NUM> of the elevator hoistway <NUM> and is configured to control the operation of the elevator system <NUM>, and particularly the elevator car <NUM>. For example, the elevator controller <NUM> may provide drive signals to the machine <NUM> to control the acceleration, deceleration, levelling, stopping, etc. of the elevator car <NUM>. The elevator controller <NUM> may also be configured to receive position signals from the position encoder <NUM>. When moving up or down within the elevator hoistway <NUM> along the guide rail <NUM>, the elevator car <NUM> may stop at one or more landings <NUM> as controlled by the elevator controller <NUM>.

The machine <NUM> may include a motor or similar driving mechanism and an optional braking system. Although shown and described with a rope-based load bearing system, elevator systems that employ other methods and mechanisms of moving an elevator car within an elevator hoistway, such as hydraulics, ropeless, or any other methods, are also examples of the present disclosure. <FIG> is merely a nonlimiting example presented for illustrative and explanatory purposes.

At the bottom of the elevator hoistway <NUM>, below the lowermost landing <NUM>, is the elevator pit <NUM>. It is often necessary for the elevator pit <NUM> to be accessed by maintenance personnel in order for inspection or repairs to be carried out. In elevator systems without pit access doors at the bottom of the hoistway, the distance between the lowermost landing <NUM> and the elevator pit <NUM> may be up to <NUM>. For the elevator pit <NUM> to be accessed safely from the lowermost landing <NUM>, equipment needs to be provided to allow the elevator pit <NUM> to be accessed. The most common way access is provided is using an elevator hoistway access ladder, such as hoistway access ladder <NUM> shown in <FIG>.

<FIG> shows an elevator hoistway <NUM>, and elevator pit <NUM>, in which a hoistway access ladder <NUM> is deployed. The hoistway access ladder <NUM> provides access to the floor <NUM> of the elevator hoistway <NUM> from the lowermost landing <NUM>. During use, the hoistway access ladder <NUM> is secured at the lowermost landing <NUM> and the floor <NUM> of the elevator hoistway <NUM> by securing means <NUM>, <NUM>.

Although <FIG> illustrates a hoistway access ladder <NUM> being used to provide access to an elevator pit <NUM> from the lowermost landing <NUM>, it will be appreciated that the hoistway access ladder <NUM> could also be used at any other landing <NUM> within the hoistway <NUM> to provide access to other areas of the hoistway <NUM>. For example, the hoistway access ladder <NUM> may be used to access the roof of an elevator car (e.g. elevator car <NUM> of <FIG>) from any appropriate landing <NUM>.

Many designs of hoistway access ladder are known in the prior art. In the prior art, hoistway access ladders are typically stored close to or within the hoistway, and are typically foldable or retractable in order to limit the amount of storage space required within the hoistway. The design of hoistway access ladders is therefore dependent on the storage method used.

An exemplary hoistway access ladder <NUM> suitable for use in the systems of the present disclosure is shown in <FIG>. The hoistway access ladder <NUM> comprises uprights 302a, 302b connected by rungs <NUM>, and a locking hinge <NUM>. Locking hinge <NUM> allows the ladder to be folded between a deployed configuration (shown in <FIG>), and a storage configuration (shown in <FIG>). As can be seen in <FIG>, in the storage configuration, the uprights 302a and 302b are moved together. When the uprights 302a and 302b are moved together they become offset, and the uprights 302a and 302b become aligned when the hoistway access ladder <NUM> is folded out to the deployed configuration shown in <FIG>.

When in the deployed configuration, the locking hinge <NUM> holds the hoistway access ladder <NUM> open such that it can be safely used by maintenance personnel. When the hoistway access ladder <NUM> is to be stored, applying relative motion between uprights 302a and 302b causes the hinge to unlock and the uprights 302a and 302b to move together, such that the uprights 302a and 302b come into contact. To facilitate this, the rungs <NUM> may be hinged or collapsible. In the example shown in <FIG>, the rungs <NUM> are configured to rotate relative to the uprights around a point <NUM>, however in other examples the rungs <NUM> of the hoistway access ladder <NUM> may instead be telescopic or may be collapsible by other appropriate means.

The hoistway access ladder <NUM> is required to be stored close to the elevator hoistway <NUM> when not in use. In prior art approaches, hoistway access ladders are typically stored within the hoistway itself, for example mounted to one of the hoistway walls. However the present Applicant has realised that storage for a hoistway access ladder <NUM> can advantageously be provided in a cavity provided within a door column of the doorway of a landing <NUM>, or in a support mounted to a door column of a landing doorway, as is described further below.

<FIG> show a hoistway access ladder storage system <NUM> according to a first example of the present disclosure. <FIG> each show a landing doorway <NUM>, which may be present at the lowermost landing <NUM> of the elevator hoistway <NUM> seen in <FIG> and <FIG>.

<FIG> show a side view of the hoistway access ladder storage system <NUM> as viewed from the hoistway side, i.e. the rear of the landing doorway <NUM>. <FIG> show an isometric view of the rear side of the hoistway access ladder storage system <NUM>.

The landing doorway <NUM> comprises a door column <NUM> and a landing door <NUM>. In the system of the present disclosure, the landing door <NUM> is a telescopic landing door, however any side opening landing door could be used. A door column <NUM> is present on at least one side of the landing doorway <NUM>. In this example, the door column <NUM> is part of a jamb for the landing door <NUM>. The Applicant has realised that the door column <NUM> can be advantageously made suitable for storing a hoistway access ladder <NUM>, providing access to the hoistway access ladder <NUM> safely and conveniently, without requiring substantive modification to existing elevator systems.

In the first example shown in <FIG>, the door column <NUM> comprises a cavity <NUM>, which has dimensions suitable for storing the hoistway access ladder <NUM>. <FIG> show the hoistway access ladder storage system <NUM> with the cavity <NUM> empty, while <FIG> show the hoistway access ladder storage system <NUM> with the cavity <NUM> containing the hoistway access ladder <NUM>.

The hoistway access ladder <NUM> may be stored in the cavity <NUM> of the door column <NUM> without the use of any restraining devices, however in the first example the hoistway access ladder <NUM> is held within the cavity <NUM> using a restraining element <NUM> (seen in <FIG>), such as a strap or a locking bar. After unlocking or removing the restraining element <NUM>, the hoistway access ladder <NUM> can simply be lifted out of the cavity <NUM> when it is required for use. For example, when a maintenance operation such as a pit inspection is carried out, the landing door <NUM> is opened from the landing side (i.e. the front of the landing door), leaving the doorway <NUM> open. The hoistway access ladder <NUM> can then simply be lifted out from the cavity <NUM> by, e.g. a technician, by reaching through the doorway <NUM> from the landing side and accessing the cavity <NUM> on the hoistway side. This allows the hoistway access ladder <NUM> to be accessed without dangerously reaching out into the hoistway, for example to retrieve an access ladder from a wall of the hoistway, as is known in the prior art. The risk to maintenance personnel in accessing the hoistway access ladder <NUM> is therefore reduced.

In a second example of this disclosure, shown in <FIG>, the hoistway access ladder <NUM> is stored in a different configuration, in which ease of access to the hoistway access ladder is further improved in at least some cases.

<FIG> show a side view of a hoistway access ladder storage system <NUM> according to a second example of this disclosure. <FIG> show a landing doorway <NUM>, as may be employed at the lowermost landing <NUM> of the elevator hoistway <NUM> shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, as viewed from the hoistway side, i.e. the rear of the landing doorway <NUM>.

As in the first example described above, the landing doorway <NUM> comprises a door column <NUM> and a side opening landing door <NUM>. The door column <NUM> comprises a cavity <NUM>, which has dimensions suitable for storing the hoistway access ladder <NUM>. <FIG> shows the hoistway access ladder storage system <NUM> with the cavity <NUM> empty, while <FIG> shows the hoistway access ladder storage system <NUM> with the hoistway access ladder <NUM> contained within the cavity <NUM>.

In the second example, there is a rotating support <NUM> mounted to the door column <NUM> in which the hoistway access ladder <NUM> can be stored to provide easier retrieval of the hoistway access ladder <NUM>. As can be seen from <FIG>, the rotating support <NUM> is configured to sit entirely within the cavity <NUM> in a first position. The rotating support <NUM> is mounted to be rotatable relative to the door column <NUM> to a second position inside the landing doorway, as will be described below. In this example, the rotating support <NUM> is mounted to at least one of the walls of the cavity <NUM> (i.e. an interior surface of the door column <NUM>) by a hinge (not shown), and can rotate out from the cavity <NUM>, through the landing doorway towards the landing. However it will be appreciated that the rotating support <NUM> may be mounted to the door column <NUM> in any suitable way, by a hinge or otherwise.

<FIG> show the hoistway access ladder storage system <NUM> according to the second example from both the landing and hoistway sides of the landing doorway <NUM>. <FIG> show an isometric view of the hoistway access ladder storage system <NUM>, as viewed from the hoistway side of the landing doorway <NUM>. <FIG> show an isometric view of the hoistway access ladder storage system <NUM> from the landing side of the landing doorway <NUM>. The door column <NUM> (comprising the cavity <NUM>, shown in <FIG>) and side opening landing door <NUM> are shown in each of <FIG>. The rotating support <NUM> can be seen in <FIG> shows the hoistway access ladder storage system <NUM> with the rotating support <NUM> inside the cavity <NUM> when it is empty, while <FIG> shows the hoistway access ladder storage system <NUM> with the hoistway access ladder <NUM> contained within the rotating support <NUM> inside the cavity <NUM>.

The rotation of rotating support <NUM> is shown in more detail in <FIG>, in which the rectangular cross section of the rotating support <NUM>, as well as its direction of rotation (from the cavity <NUM> on the hoistway side of the landing doorway <NUM> to the landing side of the landing doorway <NUM>) shown by arrow <NUM>, can be clearly seen.

In this example, the rotating support <NUM> takes the form of a generally U-shaped sleeve, including a back wall and a pair of side walls. The sleeve of the rotating support <NUM> has a vertical extent to match the height of the door column <NUM>. However, if the hoistway access ladder <NUM> is shorter than the door column <NUM> then the rotating support <NUM> may only extend along part of the door column <NUM>. The back wall and side walls together define a rectangular cross-section for the rotating support <NUM>, with an open front through which the hoistway access ladder <NUM> can be placed to be seated between the side walls and against the back wall.

The rotating support <NUM> may be secured in place within the cavity using a lock, in order to prevent access to the hoistway access ladder <NUM> to unauthorised persons. When a maintenance operation such as a pit inspection is carried out, the rotating support <NUM> may be unlocked and rotated out from the cavity <NUM>, through the landing doorway <NUM> to the landing <NUM> to provide access to the hoistway access ladder <NUM> to e.g. a technician.

The movement of the rotating support <NUM> is shown in more detail in <FIG> illustrate a cross-sectional view of the hoistway access ladder storage system <NUM> of the second example of this disclosure, with a horizontal cross-section taken just below a lintel of the hoistway landing doorway <NUM>. <FIG> show the hoistway access ladder storage system <NUM> empty, while <FIG> show the hoistway access ladder storage system <NUM> with the hoistway access ladder <NUM> held within the rotating support <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, a door column <NUM> extends vertically below the lintel of the hoistway landing doorway <NUM> and has an internal cavity <NUM>, extending vertically within the door column <NUM>. The rotating support <NUM> is configurable between a first position (shown in <FIG>), in which the rotating support <NUM> is fully contained within the cavity <NUM> of the door column <NUM>, and a second position (shown in <FIG>), in which the hoistway access ladder <NUM> is accessible from inside the landing doorway.

<FIG> show the hoistway access ladder storage system <NUM> with the hoistway access ladder <NUM> removed, while <FIG> show the hoistway access ladder <NUM> contained within the rotating support <NUM>. The rotating support <NUM> may be secured in the first position shown in <FIG> using a lock (not shown), in order to prevent access to the hoistway access ladder <NUM> to unauthorised persons.

The direction of rotation of the rotating support <NUM> between the first and second positions is indicated by arrows <NUM> in <FIG>. When the hoistway access ladder <NUM> is required for use, the rotating support <NUM> can be rotated from the first position inside the cavity <NUM> to the second position from which the hoistway access ladder <NUM> can be accessed by e.g. a technician from inside a landing doorway of the hoistway.

When the hoistway access ladder <NUM> is to be stored within a hoistway, the rotating support <NUM> can be returned from the second position shown in <FIG>, to the first position, shown in <FIG> by rotating the rotating support <NUM> in the opposite direction.

Also shown in <FIG> is a retaining element <NUM>, which holds the hoistway access ladder <NUM> in place within the rotating support <NUM>. In the example shown, the retaining element <NUM> comprises a vertical extension from the base of the rotating support <NUM>, which provides support for the base of the hoistway access ladder <NUM>. However, in other examples the retaining element <NUM> may be located at one or more different points on the rotating support <NUM>. For example, the retaining element <NUM> may comprise a bar located at a position approximately at the midpoint of the vertical height of the rotating support <NUM>. Preferably the retaining element <NUM> is made of metal, but in some examples may be plastic. In some examples, the retaining element <NUM> may be a strap that can be tightened, opened and closed by an operator. In some examples, multiple retaining elements <NUM> may be used in combination. The use of the retaining element <NUM> can be seen in <FIG>, which shows the hoistway access ladder storage system <NUM> with the rotating support <NUM> in the second position, and the elevator hoistway access ladder <NUM> secured within the rotating support <NUM> by the retaining element <NUM>.

Thus, as in the first example shown in <FIG>, the second example shown in <FIG> provides a hoistway access ladder storage system <NUM> which can be used to access the hoistway access ladder <NUM> safely and conveniently, without requiring substantial modification to existing elevator systems beyond the installation of a rotating support <NUM>, e.g. taking advantage of any pre-existing cavity <NUM> of the door column <NUM>. As a cavity <NUM> compatible with the hoistway access ladder storage system <NUM> shown in <FIG> may already be present in existing elevator landing doorways, such a system is suitable for retrofitting.

Claim 1:
An elevator hoistway access ladder storage system (<NUM>) comprising a landing doorway (<NUM>), the landing doorway (<NUM>) comprising a door column (<NUM>) and a landing door (<NUM>) characterised in that:
the door column (<NUM>) comprises a cavity (<NUM>) and a rotating support (<NUM>) for storing a hoistway access ladder (<NUM>); and in that
the rotating support (<NUM>) is rotatable relative to the door column (<NUM>) between a first position inside the cavity (<NUM>), and a second position inside the landing doorway (<NUM>).