Device for guiding and braking a traveling body of an elevator installation that can be displaced along guide rails

Abstract

A device (9) for guiding and braking an elevator unit capable of moving along a guide rail (7) is introduced, the device having a retainer (19), a guide device (21), and a braking device (41). The retainer (21) is capable of being fixed to the traveler (2) and of transmitting a guiding force between the guide device (21) and the traveler (2), which is capable of being guided on the guide rail (7). The guide device (21) is configured to move along at least one surface (31, 32, 33) of the guide rail (7) in the longitudinal direction (35) of the guide rail (7). The guide device (21) is held and supported on the retainer (19) such that the guide device (21) can be elastically displaced relative to the retainer (19) in a direction (37, 59) transverse to the longitudinal direction (35) of the guide rail (7) by at least one predetermined tolerance distance (39), and hereby the guiding force is transmitted to the retainer (19). The braking device (41) has a carrier (43) and a braking element (45), and is configured to reversibly shift the braking element (45) by an activation distance (49) in a direction (37) transverse to the guide rail (7) between a deactivated configuration and an activated configuration, wherein in the deactivated configuration, the braking surface (47) of the braking element (45) is laterally spaced from the guide rail (7), and in the activated configuration, the braking surface (47) of the braking element (45) abuts against the guide rail (7). The carrier (43) of the braking device (41) is rigidly connected to the guide device (21) such that the carrier (43) of the braking device (41) follows the lateral displacement of the guide device (21) relative to the retainer (19).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an elevator installation and in particular to a device by means of which a traveling body which can be displaced on guide rails in an elevator installation can be guided and braked. Background Art

[0002] Elevator installations usually include a plurality of traveling bodies guided by at least one guide rail in order to prevent the traveling bodies from moving in the lateral direction, i.e. mainly in the horizontal direction. The traveling body is usually an elevator car and usually also at least one counterweight. In elevator installations, the traveling body is usually moved vertically between different levels. For this purpose, a plurality of guide devices are usually provided on the traveling body, for example in the form of guide shoes, which can be moved along a vertically extending guide rail and are supported on the guide rail in the lateral direction.

[0003] In order to be able to brake the vertical movement of the traveling body, the elevator installation usually also has a braking device. Such a braking device can be designed as a so-called anti-fall brake, so that in an emergency, for example, in the event of a free fall, the vertical movement of the traveling body can be stopped as safely, quickly and efficiently as possible. In this case, the braking device can have a braking element, which presses against the guide rail when the braking device is activated, so that the desired braking force can be generated on the traveling body coupled to the braking device due to the friction generated in this way.

[0004] In elevator installations, the guide rails are usually not oriented completely parallel to the desired travel path of the traveling body, for example due to manufacturing and / or installation tolerances. In other words, at least partially limited partial areas of the guide rails cannot be straight and completely vertical, but are curved and / or oriented obliquely. In practice, especially in the case of very high elevator installations, the lateral deviation of the position of the guide rails from the setpoint position can be up to several millimeters. The deviation can vary along the longitudinal extension of the guide rails. A further complication is that, especially for elevators in very high buildings, relatively high speeds are usually required when moving the traveling body, so that lateral deviations of the guide rails from their setpoint position can lead to rapid, jerking lateral displacements of the traveling body.

[0005] In order to also maintain a high level of travel comfort for the passengers in the elevator system, the guides on the elevator car of the elevator system are usually designed to be resiliently mounted. In other words, the guides can tolerate deviations of the guide rails from their setpoint position, at least within a specified tolerance range, to a certain extent without exerting large and / or particularly jerking forces on the elevator car in the lateral direction.

[0006] The design of the brake device of the elevator installation must also take into account possible lateral deviations between the guide rail and its setpoint position. For this purpose, the brake device is usually designed so that, as long as the brake device is not activated, the brake element of the brake device is laterally spaced away from the setpoint position of the guide rail by an activation distance of sufficient size. The activation distance is selected in such a way that, as long as the brake device is not activated, the brake element does not come into contact with the guide rail even in the case of the expected maximum lateral deviation between the guide rail and the setpoint position.

[0007] However, the selection of a relatively large activation distance in conventional brake devices means that when the brake device is to be activated, the brake element must first be displaced over the entire activation distance until the surface of the brake element comes into contact with the guide rail and a braking effect can occur. For this purpose, on the one hand, the actuator for displacing the brake element must be designed appropriately in order to be able to bridge such a large activation distance. On the other hand, the displacement of the brake element over a large activation distance requires a certain amount of time, which has a negative impact on the reaction time of the brake device and ultimately on the braking travel.

[0008] WO2004 / 033353A1 introduces a device for combining an elevator guide and an anti-fall brake. EP3141511A1 introduces a housing structure for a safety operating device. EP1400476A1 introduces an anti-fall device for an elevator. Summary of the invention

[0009] Firstly, there is a need for a device by means of which a travel body, in particular an elevator car, can be displaced in a comfortable manner along guide rails on the one hand, and by means of which the displacement of the travel body can be efficiently, quickly and safely braked. In addition, there is a need for an elevator installation having such a device.

[0010] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a device for guiding and braking a traveling body that can be displaced along a guide rail is proposed, the device having a holder, a guide device and a brake device. The holder can be fixed on the traveling body. The guiding force is transmitted between the guide device that can be guided on the guide rail and the traveling body. The guide device is configured to move in the longitudinal direction of the guide rail along at least one surface of the guide rail. The guide device is held and supported on the holder in such a way that the guide device can be elastically displaced relative to the holder in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction of the guide rail by at least one prescribed tolerance distance, and the guiding force is transmitted to the holder. The brake device has a carrier and a brake element, and is configured to reversibly displace the brake element in a direction transverse to the guide rail by an activation distance between a deactivated configuration and an activated configuration, in which the brake surface of the brake element is laterally spaced from the guide rail, and in the activated configuration, the brake surface of the brake element can abut against the guide rail. The carrier of the brake device is rigidly connected to the guide device so that the carrier of the brake device follows the lateral displacement of the guide device relative to the holder.

[0011] According to a second aspect of the present invention, an elevator device is proposed, which has a traveling body, a guide rail and a device according to an embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention, wherein the retaining member of the device is fixed to the traveling body and the guiding device of the device is arranged to be displaceable in a manner guided along the guide rail.

[0012] The feasible features and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention may be considered mainly and without limiting the present invention to be concepts and perceptions based on the following description.

[0013] As already mentioned at the outset, the embodiments of the device proposed here should, on the one hand, enable comfortable guidance of the travel element of the elevator installation along one or more guide rails during displacement in the vertical direction and thus allow lateral deviations between the local position of the guide rails and the setpoint position in such a way that the travel element can be subjected to the smallest possible lateral movements, in particular lateral movements that are as non-jerking as possible. For this purpose, the tolerance distance within which the guide device can follow the deviation of the guide rail from its setpoint position should be relatively large. Overall, jerking movements of the travel element should be avoided, thereby providing a higher level of travel comfort for the passengers. On the other hand, the proposed device should be able to brake the travel element efficiently, quickly and safely.

[0014] Within the scope of the description of the proposed device, a travel body can be understood as both an elevator car and a counterweight. A higher travel comfort is particularly advantageous for the elevator car. Efficient, fast and safe braking is advantageous for both the elevator car and the counterweight.

[0015] In conventional elevator installations, the two mentioned goals are somewhat contradictory. In order to achieve a high level of travel comfort, the tolerance distance with which the guide means of the guide rail can follow local lateral deviations should be as large as possible. On the other hand, in conventional elevator installations, the braking device is usually designed and arranged such that the activation distance with which the braking element of the braking device must be displaced laterally in order to produce a braking effect by abutting against the guide rail is greater than the tolerance distance of the guide means. However, the larger this activation distance, the more difficult it is to quickly and efficiently displace the braking element over this activation distance in order to be able to brake the travel body.

[0016] By means of the embodiment of the device proposed here, it is possible to overcome the difficulty of previous elevator installations, namely that the activation distance of the braking device usually has to be greater than the tolerance distance of the guide device.

[0017] In particular, in embodiments of the proposed device, the activation distance can be smaller than the tolerance distance, for example, smaller by more than 10%, preferably by more than 50% or even by more than 80%. For example, the tolerance distance of the guide device can preferably be greater than 3 mm, more preferably greater than 4 mm or even greater than 5 mm or greater than 10 mm, while the activation distance of the brake device is preferably less than 3 mm, more preferably less than 2 mm. Thus, the guide device can follow lateral deviations of the guide rail along which it travels with a large tolerance, while the brake device can quickly and efficiently trigger the braking of the travel body by only displacing its brake element over a shorter activation distance.

[0018] In order to achieve this, the holding means, the guiding means and the braking means of the proposed device should be configured and arranged in a predetermined manner and should cooperate with one another.

[0019] The holding element should be primarily configured for fastening to the travel body and thereby the other components of the device to the travel body. For this purpose, the holding element should be designed to have sufficient mechanical stability in order to be able to absorb the guide forces and transmit them to the travel body. For example, the guide forces can occur in the range of a few Newtons up to several thousand Newtons for a short time. If the guide device moves sideways, for example with a sense of jerking, to follow local position deviations of the guide rail, such guide forces can be applied to the holding element by the guide device, for example.

[0020] For example, the holder can be designed as a structure that is as rigid as possible and is to be rigidly fixed to the traveling body. Specifically, the holder can be designed as a frame, a housing, etc. The holder can be made of a material that can mechanically bear loads, in particular of metal, such as steel. In this case, the holder can be fixed to the traveling body in a substantially fixed position, for example, by means of a fixing mechanism such as screws, bolts, etc.

[0021] The guiding device is configured to move along at least one surface of the guide rail, and follows the longitudinal direction of the guide rail at this. For this reason, as described in more detail below, the guiding device can have a guiding mechanism, which can roll, slide or otherwise move along the surface of the guide rail.

[0022] The guide device and the holder cooperate in such a way that the guide device can be displaced in the lateral direction relative to the holder. In other words, the guide device is held and supported on the holder so that the guide device can move relative to the holder transversely to the guide rail longitudinally at least across a prescribed tolerance distance.

[0023] Here, the mechanical connection between the guide device on the one hand and the holder on the other hand should be designed so that the relative displacement between the two parts can be carried out elastically, i.e. without plastic deformation and thus without irreversible deformation of the parts used for this connection. In addition, the mechanical connection between the guide device and the holder should be designed so that the guiding forces can be transmitted from the guide device to the holder.

[0024] Overall, the guide device can thus be displaced along the guide rail and elastically follow any lateral deviations that may occur, at least up to a specified tolerance distance. Forces that occur in the lateral direction can be elastically transmitted to the holder and thus to the travel body in order to guide the holder during its vertical movement and to avoid jerking lateral movements.

[0025] The brake device is configured to influence the displacement of the vehicle as little as possible as long as the brake device is not activated and to brake the vehicle, in particular to achieve the lowest possible emergency braking, when the brake device is activated.

[0026] For this purpose, the braking device has at least one carrier and a braking element. Here, the braking element can be displaced relative to the carrier. In particular, the braking element can be displaced between a deactivated configuration and an activated configuration in a direction transverse to the guide rail. In the deactivated configuration, the braking surface of the braking element is laterally spaced apart from the guide rail. In other words, there can be a gap between the braking surface of the braking element and the opposite surface of the guide rail. The lateral distance or width of the gap is substantially equivalent to the activation distance of the braking device. In the activated configuration, that is, when the braking device is to perform braking, the braking surface of the braking element abuts against the guide rail. By moving the braking element with the activation distance in a direction transverse to the guide rail, the braking element can be reversibly displaced between the deactivated and activated configurations. According to the design of the braking device, the braking surface of the braking element can be moved purely linearly, for example, by displacing the entire braking element laterally. Alternatively or additionally, the braking surface of the braking element can be displaced with a bending motion, for example a pivoting motion or a rotational motion, for example, by displacing the entire braking element eccentrically around a pivot or a rotation axis.

[0027] In the device proposed here, the carrier of the braking device and the guide device are rigidly coupled to each other. In other words, the braking device is mechanically connected to the guide device so that the movement of the guide device is transmitted to the carrier of the braking device to the greatest possible extent. In other words, the braking device is floatingly supported and its carrier follows the lateral displacement of the guide device.

[0028] Since the guide device is supported on the guide rail on the one hand and can be elastically displaced relative to the retaining element and thus relative to the travel body on the other hand, the braking device, in particular its carrier, is also held and guided so that on the one hand the braking device is always held at a constant lateral distance relative to the guide rail and can follow deviations of the guide rail from its rated position and on the other hand it can be displaced laterally relative to the retaining element and thus relative to the travel body.

[0029] The lateral distance between the braking surface of the braking element of the braking device and the opposite surface of the guide rail, ie the activation distance of the braking device, can be significantly smaller than the tolerance distance over which the braking device is elastically displaced laterally together with the guide rail relative to the holder.

[0030] According to one embodiment, the guide device has at least one roller, which can rotate around an axis and is configured and arranged in such a way that the roller can move with a shell surface in a rolling manner along the surface of the guide rail. In this case, the carrier of the braking device is rigidly connected to the axis of the roller.

[0031] In other words, the guide device can be designed as a guide shoe, in which a roller that can be rotated about an axis is used to roll along the surface of a guide rail used as a guide. In this case, the roller still follows the local position of the guide rail even if the guide rail deviates from the nominal position. The axis of the roller moves parallel to the surface of the guide rail at a constant distance, which is approximately equivalent to the diameter of the roller.

[0032] In this case, the carrier of the brake device should be rigidly connected to the axis of the roller of the guide device. For example, the carrier can be directly or indirectly connected via an intermediate rigid component (such as a housing or a frame) on which the axis of the roller is supported and to which the axis of the roller is coupled so that the axis can rotate but is essentially not displaced relative to the carrier of the brake device. The carrier of the brake device is thus held floatingly with the roller at a certain constant distance from the surface of the guide rail.

[0033] According to one embodiment, the guide device has at least two rollers, which can each rotate around an axis, and the rollers are configured and arranged in such a way that each roller can roll along the surface of the guide rail with its shell surface, and the rollers can roll along the opposite surface of the guide rail, wherein the carrier of the braking device is rigidly connected to the axis of at least one roller.

[0034] Thus, the two rollers of the guide device can be designed and arranged in such a way that the shell surfaces of the two rollers are spaced apart relative to each other, so that the guide rail can be distributed in the gap between the two shell surfaces, and the two rollers can be supported on the opposite surfaces of the guide rail. In other words, the guide rail can be accommodated between the two rollers. The width of the gap between the shell surfaces of the rollers can be substantially equivalent to the thickness of the guide rail or at most slightly larger than the thickness of the guide rail. Accordingly, the guide device is held on the guide rail and guided by the guide rail in two opposite directions by the two rollers. Thus, the carrier of the brake device also maintains a constant distance from the guide rail together with the rollers in two opposite directions.

[0035] Additionally or alternatively, according to one embodiment, the guiding device can have at least two rollers, which can rotate around axes respectively, and the rollers are configured and arranged in such a way that each roller can move in a rolling manner along the surface of the guide rail, and the guide rail can move along surfaces of the guide rail that are laterally aligned with each other, wherein the carrier of the braking device is rigidly connected to the axis of at least one roller.

[0036] In this case, the rollers are therefore arranged so that they cannot roll on opposite surfaces of the guide rail, but rather on surfaces of the guide rail that are transverse to one another. For example, one roller can roll along a lateral surface, while the other roller can roll along an end surface of the guide rail. In the previously described embodiments, the axes of the two rollers are usually arranged parallel to one another, but in this embodiment, the axes of the two rollers are arranged transversely to one another, in particular perpendicularly to one another. With the two axes constructed and arranged in this way, the guide device can thus be supported on the guide rail in two directions extending transversely to one another.

[0037] It can be particularly preferred to equip the guide device with at least three rollers. In this case, two rollers can be provided with axes parallel to each other and shell surfaces opposite to each other, which shell surfaces can be supported on opposite surfaces of the guide rail. The third roller can be arranged with its axis transverse to the other two axes and can be supported in a position such that its shell surface can roll along the end surface of the guide rail connecting the opposite surfaces of the guide rail. In this way, the guide device with its rollers is guided in at least two opposite directions and in a direction extending transversely to these directions.

[0038] According to a specific embodiment of the two embodiments mentioned above, the axes of the rollers can be rigidly connected to each other.

[0039] In other words, the axes on the guide device can be arranged in a fixed position relative to each other. For example, the axes of the various rollers can be supported separately on components that rigidly connect the axes, such as a common housing or a common frame. The carrier of the braking device can then also be rigidly coupled to the connecting component, so that the braking device is indirectly guided by the rollers of the guide device in a floating manner at a fixed distance parallel to the guide rail.

[0040] According to one embodiment, the guide device can be held and supported on the retaining element in such a manner that the guide device can be elastically moved relative to the retaining element in two directions extending transversely to each other and respectively transversely to the longitudinal extension of the guide rail by at least one specified tolerance distance, and in this case, the guiding force is transmitted to the retaining element in two directions.

[0041] In other words, the guide device can cooperate with the holder so that the two components can be displaced relative to each other in different directions in a plane transverse to the longitudinal extension of the guide rail. That is, on the one hand, the guide device can be displaced relative to the holder in a direction orthogonal to the surface of the guide rail that also serves as a braking surface, and on the other hand, the guide device can also be displaced relative to the holder in a direction orthogonal to the end face of the guide rail that connects to said surface.

[0042] As described above, because the guiding device preferably has, for example, at least three rollers so as to be guided along the guide rail in the three directions mentioned, the guiding force can therefore be transmitted between the guiding device and the retaining element in all guided directions, and the guiding device can be elastically displaced in all three directions relative to the retaining element within a prescribed tolerance distance.

[0043] According to one embodiment, the guide device is held and supported on the holding part by means of a spring element.

[0044] In other words, an elastic element may be located between the guide device and the holder, which on the one hand transmits the guide force between the two components and on the other hand is elastically deformable to a sufficient extent to enable the guide device to be displaced relative to the holder within a tolerance distance.

[0045] The elastic element may be, for example, a spring, such as a helical spring or a coil spring, one end of which cooperates with the guide device and the other end of which cooperates with the retaining member. Alternatively, the elastic element may be formed of a material having sufficient elasticity, such as an elastomer, and may be arranged as a layer or interlayer between the guide device and the retaining member. The elastic element may be elastically deflected at least to the extent of spanning the tolerance distance.

[0046] According to a specific embodiment, the brake element can be wedge-shaped and have a sliding surface that can be arranged to extend obliquely relative to the surface of the guide rail. The carrier can then have a counter-sliding surface that is arranged to extend obliquely relative to the surface of the guide rail, so that the brake element can change its configuration between the deactivated configuration and the activated configuration by sliding along the sliding surface during movement relative to the carrier.

[0047] In other words, the brake device can be constructed similarly to conventional anti-fall brakes on the travel body with one or more wedge-shaped brake elements. Here, the brake element has a brake surface on the side opposite to the guide rail and a sliding surface on the other side that extends obliquely relative to the brake surface. A correspondingly complementary obliquely inclined sliding surface is provided on the retaining element. Here, the wedge-shaped brake element can be displaced relative to the retaining element in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the guide rail in order to be activated. Here, the wedge-shaped brake element slides along the mating sliding surface and thereby simultaneously moves in an orthogonal direction toward the guide rail until the brake surface of the brake element abuts against the opposite surface of the guide rail. In addition, the pressing force between the brake element and the guide rail is increased in the following way, that is, the brake element is entrained by the guide rail due to the friction generated between the two components and is further pulled along the mating sliding surface and is thus further pressed against the guide rail.

[0048] Before the brake device is activated, the wedge-shaped brake element can be moved with its brake surface, for example only a few millimeters away from the surface of the guide rail, always parallel to the surface of the guide rail, because the wedge-shaped brake element together with the carrier of the brake device is always held at the desired distance from the surface of the guide rail due to its rigid connection to the guide device. In this case, the activation distance can be relatively small, for example less than 3 mm. To activate the brake device, this activation distance can then be quickly and without a large displacement travel of the brake element of the brake device.

[0049] According to one specific embodiment, in the device proposed here, the brake device can also have an electric actuator which is configured to displace the brake element between a deactivated configuration and an activated configuration.

[0050] The electric actuator can, for example, have an electric motor which, with a suitable energy supply, can shift the brake element from a deactivated configuration into an activated configuration and possibly back again. With such an electric actuator, the brake device can be activated by an easily transmittable electrical signal and / or can be returned to its deactivated configuration after activation.

[0051] However, the brake element can usually only be displaced relatively slowly by means of an electric actuator, since a sufficiently large actuating force must also be generated at the same time. It is therefore advantageous for the device presented here that the brake element can always be positioned very close to the surface of the guide rail even in the deactivated configuration and therefore only needs to be displaced over a short activation distance.

[0052] An alternative embodiment of the electric actuator may comprise a spring and a trigger, wherein the trigger comprises, for example, an electromagnet which holds the spring in a biased position via a magnetically held retaining plate. By interrupting the current, the retaining plate and thus the spring are released, and the spring displaces the brake element to an activated configuration.

[0053] It should be noted that some possible features and advantages of the present invention are described herein with reference to different embodiments of the device for guiding and braking a traveling body on the one hand and to different embodiments of an elevator system equipped with such a device on the other hand. A person skilled in the art recognizes that these features can be combined, adjusted or exchanged in a suitable manner to realize other embodiments of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0054] The embodiments of the present invention are described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Neither the drawings nor the description should be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0055] Figure 1 An elevator installation according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0056] Figure 2 A vertical cross-sectional view of a device according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0057] Figure 3 A horizontal cross-sectional view of a device according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0058] The drawings are merely schematic and not drawn to scale. The same reference numerals denote the same or equivalent features throughout the various drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0059] Figure 1 An elevator system 1 is shown in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. The elevator system 1 has a travel body 2 in the form of an elevator car 3 which can be displaced vertically in an elevator shaft 5. For this purpose, the elevator car 3 is held by a sling 17 which can be displaced by a drive 13 under the control of a controller 15. The elevator car 3 can be moved along guide rails 7 which extend vertically along the wall of the elevator shaft 5.

[0060] The drive machine 13 can be designed as a capstan. Alternatively, the drive machine 13 can be designed as a traction sheave drive with traction rollers. In this case, the elevator system 1 also includes a counterweight and, if necessary, deflection rollers in addition to the traction sheave drive. The sling is also extended in order to also hold the counterweight. Starting from the counterweight, the sling is guided via the traction rollers and, if necessary, via one or more deflection rollers to the elevator car 3. The extension of the drive rollers, counterweight, deflection rollers and sling is shown in FIG. Figure 1 The counterweight may also have a device 9.

[0061] For this purpose, in the example shown, a device 9 for guiding and braking the elevator car 3 is mounted on the bottom of the elevator car 3. Alternatively, such a device 9 can also be mounted at other locations on the elevator car 3. On the one hand, the device 9 is designed to prevent the elevator car 3 from moving sideways, i.e. horizontally, during its vertical travel through the elevator shaft 5, similar to a guide shoe. For this purpose, the device 9 can be supported by a supplementary guide shoe 11, if necessary. On the other hand, the device 9 serves to be able to brake the elevator car 3 in its vertical movement. In particular, it should be possible to perform a fast and efficient emergency braking of the elevator car 3 using the device 9.

[0062] The details of the embodiment according to the invention of such a device 9 for guiding and braking the elevator car 3 are given in Figure 2 and Figure 3 For the sake of clarity, some parts, in particular those of the brake device 41, are shown in vertical and horizontal sections. Figure 3 It is shown only by dotted lines.

[0063] The device 9 has a holder 19 by means of which the entire device 9 can be fixed to the elevator car 3. The holder 19 is designed structurally in such a way that it can transmit guide forces, which usually occur when the elevator car 3 is guided along the guide rails 7, for example.

[0064] The device 9 also has a guide device 21. The guide device 21 is movable in the longitudinal direction 35 of the guide rail 7 along at least one of the two opposite surfaces 31, 33 of the guide rail 7.

[0065] Here, the guide device 21 is held on the retaining element 19 in an elastically displaceable manner, so that the guide device 21 can be elastically displaced relative to the retaining element 19 in a direction 37 transverse to the longitudinal direction 35 of the guide rail 7 by at least one tolerance distance 39 of, for example, a few millimeters, and transmits the guiding force to the retaining element 19.

[0066] The device 9 also has a braking device 41 . The braking device 41 has a carrier 43 and a braking element 45 .

[0067] In the deactivated configuration, the brake element 45 is arranged here in such a way that the brake surface 47 of the brake element 45 is laterally spaced apart from the guide rail 7. The distance between the brake surface 47 and the opposite surface 31, 33 of the guide rail 7 is referred to here as the activation distance 49. In the activated configuration, on the other hand, the brake element 45 is arranged such that the brake surface 47 rests on the guide rail 7.

[0068] As long as the elevator car 3 is to be displaced without braking, the brake device 41 should remain in its deactivated configuration. If the elevator car 3 is to be braked, the electric actuator 57 can move the brake element 45 along the mating sliding surface 53 over the activation distance 49 to the guide rail 7, so that the brake surface 47 of the brake element rests on the opposite surface 31, 33 of the guide rail 7, and a braking force can be generated by friction. The distance traveled by the brake lining along the mating sliding surface 53 is greater than the activation distance 49.

[0069] The carrier 43 of the braking device 41 is rigidly coupled to the guide device 21. Thus, when the guide device 21 is moved in a guided manner along the guide rail 7, the carrier 43 follows the lateral displacement of the guide device 21 relative to the holder 19.

[0070] In the following, details are presented by way of example how the various components of the apparatus 9 presented herein may be configured.

[0071] As from Figure 3 As can be seen from the figure, in the example shown, the holder 19 is designed as a frame with a U-shaped horizontal cross section. In this case, the holder 19 surrounds the guide device 21 from three sides, namely on opposite sides in a horizontal direction 37 transverse to the longitudinal direction 35 of the guide rail 7 and on the side of the guide device 21 that faces away from the guide rail 7 in another horizontal direction 59. In this case, the frame of the holder 19 is mechanically stable, for example with a thick metal sheet. In addition, the holder 19 is fixed to the travel body 2 in a manner that can withstand mechanical loads, for example by means of screws.

[0072] In the example shown, the guide device 21 has a carrier frame 55, on which a plurality of rollers 23 are respectively fixed in a rotatable manner about an axis 25. The carrier frame 55 is again designed in a U-shape. Here, the axis 25', 25" is respectively supported on the end faces of two mutually parallel arms of the U-shaped carrier frame 55, so that the rollers 23', 23" mounted on the axis can be rotated in a direction 37 spaced apart from each other about one of the axis 25', 25". Here, a gap of a specified width is obtained between the shell surfaces 24', 24" of the rollers 23', 23". The guide rail 7 is distributed in this gap. Here, the width of the gap is set to correspond to the thickness of the guide rail 7. Therefore, the shell surfaces 24', 24" of the two rollers 23', 23" can each roll along the opposite surfaces 31, 33 of the guide rail 7. The third roller 23'" is arranged with its axis 25'"" in the inner area of ​​the U-shaped carrier frame 55. Here, the axis 25''' of the roller 23''' extends perpendicularly to the axes 25', 25'' of the other two rollers 23', 23''. Here, the third roller 23''' is aligned and positioned in such a way that the third roller can roll along the end face of the guide rail 7 with its shell surface 24'''.

[0073] The support frame 55 of the guide device 21 is coupled to the holder 19 via an elastic element 29, for example in the form of a spring 27. The elastic element 29 is arranged and aligned in such a way that the guide device 21 and its support frame 55 can be elastically displaced relative to the holder 19 in the horizontal direction 37 and in a horizontal direction 59 perpendicular thereto, at least within a tolerance distance 39.

[0074] Therefore, the carrier frame 55 of the guide device 21 can be moved in a horizontal plane in all directions by at least a tolerance distance 39, so that even if the guide rail 7 is not always distributed in its rated position locally but deviates from it, the rollers 23 fixed thereto can always roll along the surfaces 31, 32, 33 of the guide rail 7.

[0075] In the example shown, the brake device 41 is rigidly connected with its carrier 43 to the carrier frame 55 of the guide device 21. Therefore, the brake element 45 of the brake device 41 is always guided together with the movement of the guide device 21 in a floating bearing manner and is always arranged at a defined lateral distance from the surface 31, 32, 33 of the respectively corresponding guide rail 7. This lateral distance can be equal to or smaller than the activation distance 49 over which the brake element 45 must be displaced in order to abut against the opposite surface 31, 32, 33 in the activated configuration of the brake device 41 and thereby produce the desired braking effect.

[0076] In the example shown, the brake device 41 is equipped with two wedge-shaped brake elements 45. Each wedge-shaped brake element 45 has, on the side opposite the brake surface 47, a sliding surface 51 which extends obliquely relative to the opposite surface 31, 33 of the guide rail 7. A corresponding counter-sliding surface 53 is configured on the carrier 43 of the brake device 41, which counter-sliding surface extends obliquely relative to the corresponding surface 31, 33 of the guide rail 7.

[0077] The brake element 45 can be shifted from the deactivated configuration to the activated configuration by means of an electric actuator 57 (shown only schematically). In this case, the carrier 43 can have a support rail, which includes a mating sliding surface 53 and can be opened away from the rest of the carrier 43, as shown in WO2015 / 071188. The support rail is supported at one of its ends in an articulated manner with the rest of the carrier 43, so that the movement in the articulation produces a movement of the support rail in the direction 37. The electric actuator 57 can move the support rail toward the guide rail 7 in the lateral direction, i.e. in the direction 37 transverse to the longitudinal direction 35 of the guide rail 7. Alternatively, the actuator can move the brake element toward the guide rail 7 by briefly lifting the sliding surface 51 off the mating sliding surface 53. For this purpose, the brake element 45 can have a groove that opens the brake element 45 toward the actuator. The actuator presses against the bottom of the groove in the brake element 45 in the lateral direction. The recess is designed in this case such that it creates the required space in the brake element 45 so that the brake element 45 remains displaceable in the longitudinal direction 35 , while the electric actuator 57 in the extended state at least partially projects into the brake element.

[0078] Alternatively or additionally, the actuator can displace the brake element 45 in the longitudinal direction 35 of the guide rail 7 , the brake element sliding with its sliding surface 51 along the counter-sliding surface 53 of the carrier 43 and thus also moving laterally toward the guide rail 7 .

[0079] As soon as the brake element 45 rests with its brake surface 47 on the guide rail 7, the brake element is further moved in the longitudinal direction 35 of the guide rail 7 by the friction acting between the two components. Due to the wedge shape of the brake element 45, the contact force between the brake element 45 and the guide rail 7 is further increased.

[0080] In summary, the device 9 for guiding and braking a traveling body 2 presented here provides the possibility of, on the one hand, comfortably guiding the elevator car 3 during the vertical displacement of the elevator car 3 along the guide rail 7 by means of a guide device 21 which can be elastically displaced with a tolerance distance. On the other hand, the braking device 41 of the device 9 with its one or more braking elements 45 can be moved past the guide rail 7 with very little lateral play in the deactivated configuration, since the braking device 41 is rigidly coupled to the guide device 21. Thus, the braking device 41 can be activated quickly and efficiently by engaging the one or more braking elements 45 with an activation distance 49 which is less than the tolerance distance 39 towards the guide rail 7.

[0081] Finally, it should be noted that terms such as "comprising", "having" etc. do not exclude other elements or steps, and terms such as "a" or "an" etc. do not exclude a plurality. Furthermore, it should be pointed out that features or steps that have been described with reference to one of the above embodiments may also be used in combination with other features or steps of other above-described embodiments. Any reference signs in the claims should not be interpreted as limiting.

Claims

1. A device (9) for guiding and braking a traveling body (2) that can be displaced along a guide rail (7), the device comprising: Retaining member (19), a guide device (21), and Braking device (41), in, The retaining element (19) can be fixed on the traveling body (2), and the guiding force can be transmitted between the guiding device (21) which can be guided on the guide rail (7) and the traveling body (2). The guide device (21) is movable along at least one surface (31, 32, 33) of the guide rail (7) in the longitudinal direction (35) of the guide rail (7), The guide device (21) is held and supported on the holder (19) in such a way that the guide device (21) can be elastically displaced relative to the holder (19) in a direction (37, 59) transverse to the longitudinal direction (35) of the guide rail (7) by at least a specified tolerance distance (39) and transmits a guiding force to the holder (19). The brake device (41) has a carrier (43) and a brake element (45), and is configured to reversibly displace the brake element (45) by an activation distance (49) in a direction (37) transverse to the guide rail (7) between a deactivated configuration, in which a brake surface (47) of the brake element (45) is laterally spaced from the guide rail (7), and an activated configuration, in which the brake surface (47) of the brake element (45) can abut against the guide rail (7). The carrier (43) of the braking device (41) is rigidly coupled to the guide device (21) so that the carrier (43) of the braking device (41) follows the lateral displacement of the guide device (21) relative to the holder (19).

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein: The guide device (21) has at least one roller (23) which can rotate about an axis (25) and is configured and arranged in such a way that the roller (23) can move with its shell surface (24) in a rolling manner along the surface (31, 32, 33) of the guide rail (7), and a carrier (43) of the braking device (41) is rigidly connected to the axis (25) of the roller (23).

3. The device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The guide device (21) comprises at least two rollers (23', 23''), which are respectively rotatable around axes (25', 25''), and are configured and arranged in such a way that each of the rollers (23', 23'') can move with a shell surface (24', 24'') in a rolling manner along a surface (31, 33) of the guide rail (7), and the rollers (23', 23'') can move in a rolling manner along an opposite surface (31, 33) of the guide rail (7), and a carrier (43) of a braking device (41) is rigidly coupled to the axis (25', 25'') of at least one of the rollers (23', 23'').

4. The device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The guide device (21) comprises at least two rollers (23', 23'''), which are respectively rotatable about axes (25', 25''') and are configured and arranged in such a way that each of the rollers (23', 23''') can move with a shell surface (24', 24''') in a rolling manner along a surface (31, 32) of the guide rail (7), and the rollers (23', 23''') can move in a rolling manner along surfaces (31, 32) of the guide rail (7) that are laterally aligned with each other, and a carrier (43) of a braking device (41) is rigidly coupled to the axis (25', 25''') of at least one of the rollers (23', 23''').

5. The device according to claim 3, wherein: The shafts (25) of the rollers (23) are rigidly coupled to one another.

6. The device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The guide device (21) is held and supported on the holder (19) in such a way that the guide device (21) can be elastically displaced relative to the holder (19) in two directions (37, 59) extending transversely to each other and in each case transversely to the longitudinal direction (35) of the guide rail (7) by at least one predetermined tolerance distance (39), and in this way guide forces are transmitted to the holder (19) in both directions (37, 59).

7. The device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The guide device (21) is held and supported on the holder (19) by means of an elastic element (29).

8. The device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The brake element (45) is wedge-shaped and has a sliding surface (51) that can be arranged to extend obliquely relative to the surfaces (31, 33) of the guide rail (7), and the carrier (43) has a mating sliding surface (53) that can be arranged to extend obliquely opposite to the surfaces (31, 33) of the guide rail (7), so that the brake element (45) can change its configuration between the deactivated configuration and the activated configuration by sliding the sliding surface (51) along the mating sliding surface (53) when moving relative to the carrier (43).

9. The device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The brake device (41) further comprises an electric actuator (57) which is configured to displace the brake element (45) between the deactivated configuration and the activated configuration.

10. The device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The activation distance (49) is smaller than the tolerance distance (39).

11. The device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The tolerance distance (39) is greater than 3 mm.

12. The device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The activation distance (49) is less than 3 mm.

13. An elevator device (1), comprising: Traveling body (2), guide rail (7), and The device (9) according to any one of the preceding claims, The retaining element (19) of the device (9) is fixed on the traveling body (2), and the guiding device (21) of the device (9) is arranged to be displaceable in a guided manner along a guide rail (7).

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