Patent Description:
Jump elevators are commonly used during the construction of buildings, wherein the height of the machine room needs to be gradually increased as the height of building construction continuously increases. Therefore, a lifting device needs to be arranged inside or outside the jump elevator to selectively lift the machine room.

Existing lifting devices include lifting devices driving by hydraulic force. Hydraulic devices typically include a container for holding working fluid and an apparatus for pumping the working fluid, such as a pipe, a pump, and the like. <CIT> discloses such a lifting device for a jump elevator. These devices need to occupy certain space, and there is also a possibility of working fluid leakage. <CIT> discloses a climbing shuttering system having a supporting structure on which various concrete shuttering elements are loaded hanging downwards. The climbing shuttering system has a top supporting carrier that has the means to support it laterally to a completed wall section, a lower supporting carrier that can be supported on a completed wall section, and a lifting device that brings about a relative movement between both supporting carriers. <CIT> discloses a climbing frame for assembly, repair and inspection work on tall structures of relatively small cross-section and with a pressure-resistant surface. It comprises top and bottom rings resistant to torsion and bending loads and of adjustable shape and circumference, each with two or more clamps acting at right angles against the structure surface at points which can be freely selected, together with lifting jacks. <CIT> discloses a kind of vertical shaft self-lifting and self-locking safety cage, in which an upper frame, a lower frame and a lifting device are provided in the vertical shaft. The lifting device comprises a screw lift and a screw, the screw lift is fixedly connected to the upper frame, the lower end of the screw is fixedly connected to the lower frame, and the screw is threadedly engaged with the screw lift.

Therefore, there is continuous need for a new lifting assembly, a jump elevator, and a jumping method. It is desired that such solution could further improve the structural and operational performance of the jump elevator.

One object of the present application is to provide a lifting assembly that is capable of applying an external force to a jump elevator to push the jump elevator to a desired position and fix the jump elevator in that position. Another object of the present application is to provide a jump elevator comprising the aforementioned lifting assembly, and to provide a jumping method for the jump elevator.

The object of the present application is achieved by the following technical solutions:
A lifting assembly for a jump elevator according to claim <NUM>. In the lifting assembly described above, optionally, the other of the screw and the sleeve is configured to be fixed to the other of the supporting platform or the operating platform.

In the lifting assembly described above, optionally, a plurality of screw mechanisms are disposed along the perimeter of the supporting platform and the operating platform.

In the lifting assembly described above, optionally, a plurality of telescopic second pawls are disposed at the side face of the operating platform.

In the lifting assembly described above, optionally, the size and position of the first and second pawls are configured to fit with apertures on the inner wall of a hoistway, such that the first and second pawls are moveable into the apertures.

In the lifting assembly described above, optionally, the screw and the sleeve are sized that at least when the screw mechanisms are at the maximum extending length, the supporting platform or the operating platform can be lifted to a height that enables the first pawl or the second pawl to fit with apertures at higher position.

In the lifting assembly described above, optionally, the supporting platform is disposed below the operating platform.

In the lifting assembly described above, optionally, a plurality of screw mechanisms are disposed perpendicular to the top surface of the supporting platform and the bottom surface of the operating platform.

In the lifting assembly described above, optionally, the driving mechanism comprises a motor and a transmission mechanism, wherein the motor selectively extends or retracts the screw mechanism through the transmission mechanism.

In the lifting assembly described above, optionally, the motor is disposed on one of the supporting platform or the operating platform.

In the lifting assembly described above, the transmission mechanism comprises a belt transmission mechanism, a gear transmission mechanism, and/or a rack transmission mechanism.

In the lifting assembly described above, optionally, the transmission mechanism is configured to cause the plurality of screw mechanisms to extend or retract synchronously.

In the lifting assembly described above, optionally, the operating platform comprises a working platform and/or a storage compartment platform.

A jump elevator comprising the lifting assembly described above.

A jumping method for a jump elevator according to claim <NUM>.

In the jumping method described above, optionally, the first set of apertures and the fourth set of apertures are the same set of apertures.

In the jumping method described above, optionally, the distance between the fourth set of apertures and the third set of apertures in the vertical direction is greater than or equal to the height of a single floor.

The lifting assembly, jump elevator and jumping method of the present application have the advantages of being simple in structure, easy to manufacture, convenient to use and the like, and can conveniently move the jump elevator into the desired position and fix it in place.

The present application will be described in further detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the preferred embodiments, but those skilled in the art will appreciate that the drawings are depicted for the purpose of illustrating the preferred embodiments only and therefore shall not be taken as limiting the scope of the present application. In addition, unless specifically noted, the drawings are only intended to conceptually represent the composition or configuration of the described objects and may contain exaggerated display, and the drawings are not necessarily drawn in scale. <FIG> is a schematic structure view of one embodiment of a jump elevator of the present application.

Preferred embodiments of the present application will be described in details below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that these descriptions are merely descriptive, exemplary, and should not be construed as limiting the protective scope of the present application.

Firstly, it should be noted that the top, bottom, upward, downward, and similar orientation terms referred to herein are defined in relative to the directions in the various figures, which are relative concepts, and thus can vary according to the different locations in which they are located and the different utility states. Accordingly, these or other orientation terms are not to be construed as restrictive terms.

Furthermore, it should also 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 continuously combined between these technical features (or equivalents thereof), resulting in other embodiments of the present application not directly mentioned herein.

It should be noted that like reference numerals refer to the same or substantially the same assemblies in different drawings.

<FIG> is a schematic structure view of one embodiment of a jump elevator of the present application. Wherein the present application provides a lifting assembly for a jump elevator, the lifting assembly comprises: a supporting platform provided with a plurality of telescopic first pawls disposed at the side face of the supporting platform; at least one screw mechanism comprising a screw and a sleeve, the screw and the sleeve are each provided with an external thread and an internal thread matching with each other; and a driving mechanism configured to drive one of the screw and the sleeve to rotate in relative to the other, such that the screw mechanism extends or retracts; wherein the screw mechanism is connected between the supporting platform and the operating platform, and one of the screw and the sleeve is configured to be rotatably attached to one of the supporting platform or the operating platform.

It is readily understood that the jump elevator typically includes a plurality of platforms, for example a work platform for a person to stand, a machine room platform for housing a tractor, a storage compartment platform for housing a steel wire rope, and the like. The embodiment of <FIG> illustrates the case in which the supporting platform <NUM> is disposed below the operating platform <NUM>. The operating platform <NUM> includes a machine room platform for housing the tractor <NUM> and may include other platforms located above the machine room platform, and the like. In fact, other platforms may be disposed below the supporting platform <NUM>. In another embodiment, the supporting platform may be disposed above the operating platform, and the operating platform includes a machine room platform for housing the tractor and may include other platforms located above the machine room platform, and the like. It will be readily understood that other platforms may also be disposed above the supporting platform at this point. In the following, the working principles of the technical solutions in the present application will be illustrated primarily with reference to the embodiments in <FIG>, but it will be readily understood that the embodiments in <FIG> do not preclude the existence of other cases as described above, and the present application is intended to cover such modifications and changes.

In the exemplary embodiment of <FIG>, the supporting platform <NUM> is located below the operating platform <NUM>. <FIG> also shows that two screw mechanisms are connected between the supporting platform <NUM> and the operating platform <NUM>, including screws <NUM> and <NUM> and sleeves <NUM> and <NUM>, respectively. Wherein, the screws <NUM> and <NUM> are attached to the supporting platform <NUM> and the sleeves <NUM> and <NUM> are attached to the operating platform <NUM>. However, the arrangement in the figure is illustrative only, and in fact, the screw may be attached to the operating platform, and the sleeve may be attached to the supporting platform and still achieve the same effect.

In order for the screw mechanism to be extended and retracted, each screw and sleeve are sized to being able to match with each other, and the outer circumference of each screw is provided with external threads, the inner circumference of each sleeve is provided with internal threads, the external threads and the internal threads are configured to match in size, so that the screw mechanism can provide secured connection between the supporting platform and the operating platform. One of the screw and the sleeve is configured to be rotatable in relative to one of the supporting platform and the operating platform, and the other of the screw and sleeve is configured to be fixed in relative to the other of the supporting platform and the operating platform. In the embodiment shown in <FIG>, the sleeves <NUM> and <NUM> attached to the operating platform <NUM> may be configured to be rotatable about their own axes with respect to the operating platform <NUM>. However, according to actual requirement, the screws <NUM> and <NUM> attached to the supporting platform <NUM> may also be rotated about their own axes in relative to the supporting platform <NUM> by changing the position and structure of the driving mechanism. Similarly, in embodiments where the screws are attached to the operating platform and the sleeves are attached to the supporting platform, it is possible to configure the screws to rotate about their own axes in relative to the operating platform, or to configure the sleeves to rotate about their own axes in relative to the supporting platform.

Each screw and sleeve is matched in a one-to-one correspondence manner, so that each screw can match with the corresponding sleeve. Thus, the screw mechanism can have a maximum extending length and a minimum extending length. In the maximum extending length, the threads engaging between the screw and the sleeve are minimized, but still can maintain sufficient connection strength. At this point, most of the screw is located out of the sleeve. In the minimum extending length, the threads engaging between the screw and the sleeve are maximized. At this point, most of the screw is located within the sleeve. In the embodiment of <FIG>, the length of the threads that engaging between the screw and the sleeve is merely exemplary. In fact, the screw mechanism may be at the minimum extending length or between the minimum extending length and the maximum extending length when the various platforms of the jump elevator are secured in place, respectively.

A plurality of screw mechanisms may be disposed along the perimeter of the supporting platform <NUM> and the operating platform <NUM>. For example, in one embodiment, the supporting platform <NUM> and the operating platform <NUM> have a substantial rectangular or square projection in the vertical direction, and four screw mechanisms are arranged near the corners of the rectangle or square, respectively, such that the supporting platform <NUM> and the operating platform <NUM> would obtain substantial uniform stress distribution. In fact, it is possible to arrange one or more screw mechanisms between the supporting platform <NUM> and the operating platform <NUM>, and each screw mechanism is arranged such that forces can be evenly transferred between the supporting platform <NUM> and the operating platform <NUM>. Accordingly, the screw mechanism may be substantially arranged in uniform according to the shape of the supporting platform <NUM> and the operating platform <NUM>.

A plurality of telescopic first pawls <NUM> and <NUM> are disposed at a side face of the supporting platform <NUM>, and a plurality of telescopic second pawls <NUM> and <NUM> are disposed at the side face of the operating platform <NUM>. Wherein the size and position of each of the first and second pawls are configured to fit with apertures <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> on the inner wall of the hoistway <NUM> and <NUM>, such that each of the first and second pawls is moveable into each aperture. Wherein the size of each screw and sleeve is configured such that: at least when the screw mechanism is at the maximum extending length, the supporting platform <NUM> or the operating platform <NUM> can be lifted to a height that enables the first pawls or second pawls to fit with apertures at higher position. In the illustrated embodiment, the maximum extending length of the screw mechanism will enable the second pawls <NUM> and <NUM> to reach a higher elevation in the illustrated vertical direction and fit with apertures not shown.

To ensure sufficient structural strength, in the illustrated embodiment, a plurality of screw mechanisms are arranged perpendicular to the top surface of the supporting platform <NUM> and the bottom surface of the operating platform <NUM>. Correspondingly, in other embodiments, the screw mechanism may be arranged perpendicular to the bottom surface of the supporting platform <NUM> and the top surface of the operating platform <NUM>.

The driving mechanism <NUM> is shown schematically in <FIG>. It is readily understood that the driving mechanism <NUM> may include a motor and a transmission mechanism, wherein the motor selectively extends or retracts the screw mechanism through the transmission mechanism. The motor may be disposed on one of the supporting platform or the operating platform and may also be disposed on other portions of the jump elevator not shown in <FIG>. The transmission mechanism comprises a belt transmission mechanism, a gear transmission mechanism and/or a rack transmission mechanism and the like. The transmission mechanism is configured to synchronously transmit power provided by the motor to each of the screw mechanisms and cause the plurality of screw mechanisms to extend or retract synchronously. The specific transmission structures and the arrangement thereof may be set according to actual conditions, for example, the motor and transmission mechanism described above may be disposed at the surface of or within certain platform, and may be wired according to actual conditions. The motor may employ conventional AC or DC motor, and may also employ as stepping motor or the like. Compared with hydraulic system, a driving mechanism <NUM> mainly powered by motor is smaller in size, lighter in weight, lower in cost, higher in operating efficiency and accuracy, and therefore can provide better operation effect.

The invention further provides a jump elevator which comprises the lifting assembly described above. It will be readily understood that in addition to the various platforms described above as well as the structure shown in <FIG>, the jump elevator further includes a car that is suspended by a tractor via a steel wire rope, and other elevator components that fit with the car.

Based on the lifting assembly and the jump elevator described above, the present application also provides a jumping method for the jump elevator. The jumping method will be described in details hereinafter.

One embodiment of the jumping method for the jump elevator according to the present application includes the following steps:.

Wherein he supporting platform is disposed below the operating platform and the screw mechanism is connected between the supporting platform and the operating platform. Thus, the embodiment of the jumping method described above is applicable to the jump elevator as shown in <FIG>, which may have a similar structure to an existing jump elevator lifted by hydraulic force, but the jump elevator employs the aforementioned lifting assembly with screw mechanism to replace the existing hydraulic lifting device.

In one embodiment of the jumping method for the jump elevator according to the present application, the first set of apertures and the fourth set of apertures are the same set of apertures. Thus, after the jumping method according to the present application is performed, the supporting platform will be lifted to the initial height of the operating platform, and the operating platform is lifted to a higher position.

Another embodiment of the jumping method for the jump elevator according to the present application comprises the steps of.

Wherein the operating platform is disposed below the supporting platform and the screw mechanism is connected between the supporting platform and the operating platform. Accordingly, embodiments of the above jumping method are applicable to a jump elevator with the operating platform disposing below the supporting platform as described above. While specific structure of the jump elevator is not shown in the drawings, it will be readily appreciated in view of the above disclosure.

In another embodiment of the jumping method for the jump elevator according to the present application, the first set of apertures and the fourth set of apertures are the same set of apertures. Thus, after the jumping method according to the present application is performed, the operating platform will be lifted to the initial position of the supporting platform and the supporting platform is lifted to a higher position.

In various embodiments described above, the distance between the fourth set of apertures and the third set of apertures in the vertical direction is greater than or equal to the height of a single floor. Therefore, after performing the aforementioned jumping operation, the jump elevator as a whole will be lifted by the height of at least one floor, or optionally lifted by the height of two or more floors, thereby achieving the effect of hoisting the height of the elevator machine room within the hoistway. The jumping method can be performed continuously, and can also be selectively performed after certain time of period. The specific operating interval depends on the actual constructing environment of the building as well as the constructing progress and plan. In fact, according to actual needs, the aforementioned jumping method can be modified to lower the height of the elevator machine room within the hoistway.

Claim 1:
A lifting assembly for a jump elevator characterized in that it comprises:
a supporting platform (<NUM>) provided with a plurality of first pawls (<NUM>, <NUM>);
an operating platform (<NUM>) comprising a machine room platform and provided with a plurality of second pawls (<NUM>, <NUM>);
at least one screw mechanism comprising a screw (<NUM>, <NUM>) and a sleeve (<NUM>, <NUM>), the screw (<NUM>, <NUM>) and the sleeve (<NUM>, <NUM>) are provided with an external thread and an internal thread matching with each other, respectively;
a driving mechanism (<NUM>) configured to drive one of the screw (<NUM>, <NUM>) and the sleeve (<NUM>, <NUM>) to rotate in relative to the other, such that the screw mechanism extends or retracts;
wherein the screw mechanism is connected between the supporting platform (<NUM>) and the operating platform (<NUM>), one of the screw (<NUM>, <NUM>) and the sleeve (<NUM>, <NUM>) is configured to be rotatably attached to one of the supporting platform (<NUM>) or the operating platform (<NUM>).