Sliding guide shoes for elevators

Abstract

A sliding guide shoe for an elevator comprises a guide shoe housing (2) and a two-part liner (3) inserted into the guide shoe housing (2) and comprising a damping element (4) and a sliding element (5), for guiding an elevator car or a counterweight.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a sliding guide shoe for an elevator used for transporting people or goods. Background Art

[0002] Sliding guide shoes are usually used to guide the elevator car. Elevator installations in buildings have a usually vertical elevator shaft in which guide rails are arranged on mutually opposite shaft walls. The sliding guide shoes arranged on the elevator car or the counterweight have a sliding surface facing the guide rail and sliding along the guide rail with little clearance. Sliding guide shoes with sliding elements with sliding surfaces are known and commonly used, wherein the sliding elements are usually designed as profiles with a U-shaped profile in cross section.

[0003] For example, DE 203 15 915 U1 discloses a sliding guide shoe having a guide shoe housing and a two-part liner inserted into the guide shoe housing, which has a sliding element and a damping element.

[0004] For the linear guidance of an elevator car or a counterweight, a plurality of guide rails arranged side by side are required. In practice, in the transition area between the rails, undesirable rail joints may occur, i.e. uneven transitions at the beginning and end of the guide rails, which can lead to undesirable vibrations and thus impair the ride comfort. Such rail joints are particularly problematic in the case of guide rails bent from sheet metal, since they cannot be reworked mechanically after assembly, or can only be reworked mechanically with great effort. If the sliding guide shoe passes over the raised portion at the rail joint, an impact occurs on the car or the counterweight. The rail joint has a negative impact on the service life of the sliding guide shoe, since material may fall off the sliding element of the sliding guide shoe when the rail joint is passed. Summary of the invention

[0005] The object of the invention is to avoid the known disadvantages and in particular to provide a sliding guide shoe of the type mentioned at the outset which is able to cope well with rail joints.

[0006] According to the invention, this object is achieved by a sliding guide shoe having the following features. A sliding guide shoe for an elevator for transporting people or goods comprises: a guide shoe housing and a sliding element. The sliding element of the sliding guide shoe for guiding the elevator car or the counterweight can be inserted into the guide shoe housing or connected to the guide shoe housing in another way. The guide shoe housing is used on the one hand to hold the sliding element and on the other hand to connect the sliding element to the elevator car or the counterweight. For the connection to the elevator car or the counterweight or to the base as an intermediate piece, the guide shoe housing has, for example, an opening through which a fixing bolt can be guided and the guide shoe housing can be screwed to the car or the counterweight by means of the fixing bolt.

[0007] The guide shoe housing may include a channel-shaped accommodation portion, and a sliding element preferably designed to have a U-shaped profile in cross section is inserted or can be inserted into the accommodation portion at least in the inserted state. In order to form the channel-shaped accommodation portion, the guide shoe housing may have two mutually opposite, parallel side wall segments and a bottom segment connecting the side wall segments. The bottom segment and the side wall segment extending away from the bottom segment at a right angle form a "U" shape in cross section. Therefore, the guide shoe housing can be formed by a U-shaped profile. However, the guide shoe housing may also have other shapes. However, for the guide shoe housing, a common form known, for example, from DE20315915U1 may also be used, which has a plate-shaped housing base and two side wall segments extending away from the housing base approximately in the center, and the side wall segments form a groove for forming a channel-shaped accommodation portion. The guide shoe housing may be composed of a metal material (e.g., steel). It is also conceivable to manufacture the guide shoe housing from a high-strength plastic material such as PE (polyethylene), PP (polypropylene), PA (polyamide), PS (polystyrene), PES (polyethersulfone resin), POM (polyoxymethylene), PEEK (polyetheretherketone), TPE (thermoplastic elastomer) or fiber-reinforced plastic.

[0008] The sliding element can be guided in a sliding manner along a guide rail extending in the travel direction or longitudinal direction for vertically guiding the elevator car or the counterweight. When the sliding guide shoe is assembled in the elevator and is ready, for example, in the operating position, the sliding element has an upper end and a lower end. By making at least one of the upper end and the lower end and preferably each of the upper end and the lower end have a non-horizontal direction along the corresponding end, it is possible to avoid severe and sudden impacts when the sliding guide shoe passes over a raised portion, for example at a rail joint. Such a sliding guide shoe is particularly suitable for guide rails bent from sheet metal, in which undesirable rail joints often occur. Therefore, even at the rail joints, low-vibration and low-noise travel of the car can be effectively guaranteed. In addition, due to the special design of the sliding element, the service life of the sliding guide shoe can be significantly extended.

[0009] Here, the above-mentioned non-horizontal direction of the upper or lower end can particularly relate to the longitudinally forward region of the corresponding edge at the upper or lower end of the sliding element. The direction of the upper or lower end can start from the vertical longitudinal edge of the sliding element (as the beginning) and extend to the opposite longitudinal edge of the sliding element (as the end). The beginning and the end are therefore located on planes corresponding to the mutually opposite sides of the U-shaped sliding element.

[0010] In other words, the claimed course of the upper and lower ends results from the unfolding of the sliding element, which is to be understood as unfolding in a geometric sense. This can be a real unfolding of the sliding element or only a virtual unfolding. The real unfolding relates to elements that can be laid flat on a plane due to their flexibility (e.g. due to a foldable design); a virtual unfolding is necessary for elements with a rigid structure that cannot be laid on a plane in a non-destructive manner or in another easy manner.

[0011] Conventional sliding guide shoes have sliding elements which, when unfolded, i.e. when they are geometrically unfolded onto a plane, have upper and lower ends extending horizontally or perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction. In contrast, the sliding elements of the sliding guide shoe according to the invention have upper and lower ends which have a non-horizontal orientation when unfolded.

[0012] In a first embodiment, the upper and / or lower end of the sliding element can each have a preferably uniformly inclined course along the respective end at least in sections or at least in certain sections. In this case, the sections can be given by the arms of the sliding element forming a "U". Instead of a straight inclined course, a curved course of the end is also conceivable.

[0013] Preferably, when the sliding guide shoe is installed in an elevator, the inclined upper end and / or lower end of the sliding element may include an inclination angle relative to the horizontal line at least in sections or at least in certain sections.

[0014] Particularly preferably, for a gentle behavior when driving over the rail joint, the angle of inclination can be between 5° and 45°, preferably between 10° and 30°, and particularly preferably approximately 17°.

[0015] At least in the operating position, the sliding element can be designed as a U-shaped profile with two mutually opposite, preferably parallel side edges and a base edge located between the side edges and in particular connecting the side edges to each other. It is then advantageous if the respective side edge-side segment and the respective base edge-side segment of at least one of the upper end and the lower end of the sliding element each have the same slope.

[0016] For easier handling, it is advantageous if the sliding element having two side edges and a base connecting the side edges to one another is designed to be foldable, wherein the respective side edge is connected to the base edge via a film hinge.

[0017] The sliding element can be formed in such a way that its unfolded configuration has a rhombus-shaped outer contour, in particular when the sliding element designed to be foldable is spread out or placed on a flat surface.

[0018] In another embodiment, the sliding element can have a base which has a rounded inner side in cross section (the cross section is horizontal or perpendicular to the longitudinal extension). A sliding element formed in this way is particularly suitable for special rail geometries formed from sheet metal. For example, a sliding guide shoe corresponding to an elevator car or a counterweight can have a spring section of the guide rail corresponding to the elevator shaft surrounding the guide rail for guidance. This spring section can be a forward extension of the profile. For example, the spring section can be a closed folded part produced by a sheet metal bending process, which fits optimally into the rounded inner side of the base.

[0019] With regard to driving comfort and service life, it may be advantageous if at least one upper end and a lower end of the sliding element have rounded bevels or converging surfaces at least in the lateral sections.

[0020] In order to optimize the ride comfort, it is advantageous if the sliding element is a component of a two-part cushion, which has a damping element, which is arranged between the sliding element and the guide shoe housing. For example, elastic plastics, in particular thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) or plastics made of cross-linked elastomers can be used for the damping element. The damping element can be made of, for example, SBR, TUR, TPU, EPDM, NBR, NR. The damping element can also be made of a foamed material, which already has damping properties due to the appropriate material selection, thereby promoting low-vibration and low-noise travel of the car. The damping element can preferably be designed as a U-shaped profile.

[0021] In order to further optimize the ride comfort, it is particularly advantageous if the sliding element has at least one retaining cam which is received or can be received in a hole provided in the region of the annular buffer element. The annular buffer element can form a pin which engages in a hole in the guide shoe housing. The pin can be designed in a shaped or molded manner. At least one pin can have ribs or tabs which are evenly distributed on the circumference and point radially outwards, in particular on its outer side. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Further advantages and individual features emerge from the following description of exemplary embodiments and the accompanying drawings.

[0023] Figure 1 A perspective view showing a sliding guide shoe according to the invention;

[0024] Figure 2 The enlarged perspective view shows Figure 1 Damping element of the sliding guide shoe;

[0025] Figure 3 The enlarged perspective view shows Figure 1The sliding element of the sliding guide shoe is shown, however, from a different viewing direction and in a slightly expanded state;

[0026] Figure 4 A side view showing the side of the sliding element, and

[0027] Figure 5 The slide element is shown in a top view when placed on a flat surface. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] Figure 1 A sliding guide shoe, denoted by 1, is shown for an elevator (not shown here) for transporting people or goods. The elevator can be an elevator car, which can be moved up and down in the z-direction in the elevator shaft between two guide rails (not shown) as linear guides, vertically guided. At least one sliding guide shoe for guiding the car, which is described in detail below, can be arranged on each side of the car. For optimal guidance, the elevator car usually has four (two on each side) or more sliding guide shoes. Likewise, a counterweight (also not shown) connected to the car by a sling in the form of a rope or belt can have such a sliding guide shoe for guiding the counterweight on the counterweight guide rails.

[0029] The sliding guide shoe corresponding to the elevator car or counterweight can have a groove for guiding, which surrounds the elastic part of the guide rail corresponding to the elevator shaft. The elastic part can be the forward extension of the profile. The sliding guide shoe described in detail below is designed for a guide rail formed by a metal sheet. The groove of the sliding guide shoe encloses a relatively narrow elastic part, which is, for example, a closed folded part produced by a metal sheet bending process. However, the guide rail can also be formed by a T-shaped profile. The T-shaped profile can be, for example, a solid steel profile made by rolling. The guide rail can also be composed or formed by other metal materials (such as aluminum), manufacturing processes or profile shapes. For example, it is conceivable to use a metal profile manufactured by a continuous extrusion process as a guide rail.

[0030] from Figure 1 As can be seen in the figure, the sliding guide shoe 1 comprises a guide shoe housing 2 of one-piece design and a liner 3 inserted therein, the liner 3 being designed in two parts and having a sliding element 5 facing the guide rail as an inner liner and a damping element 4 as an outer liner. The sliding element has a sliding surface or sliding area, which slides along the guide rail with little clearance when the car is traveling. Figure 1 In FIG. 2 , a flat sliding surface indicated at 27 can be seen.

[0031] When the sliding guide shoe 1 is ready for installation in an elevator, the sliding element 5 has an upper end 20 and a lower end 21. The upper end 20 and the lower end 21 are connected to each other by a longitudinal edge 24 extending vertically or in the z-direction. The upper end 20 and the lower end 21 each have a non-horizontal course along their respective ends. The course mentioned along the upper end 20 starts from the longitudinal edge 24 (which determines the start end denoted by S) and extends obliquely upwards to the end at the opposite longitudinal edge (see below). Figure 3 , in which the end is marked with E). The lower end 21 has a similarly inclined course. The angle of inclination enclosed by the inclined upper end 20 of the sliding element 5 relative to the horizontal is denoted by α. The angle of inclination α can also be between 5° and 45° and preferably between 10° and 30°. In the present embodiment, the angle of inclination α is 17°, which can particularly effectively ensure low-vibration and low-noise travel of the elevator car even in the case of poor track connection. Another advantage of the sliding element 5 is that the sliding element is characterized by optimized wear behavior, especially in guide rails that use little or no oil, especially when used on sheet metal guide rails.

[0032] Sliding element 5 is for example made of plastic, and its advantage is low friction coefficient, for example PTFE, UHMW-PE.In addition, should preferably be used for sliding element 5 as follows, the advantage of this material is very low stick-slip tendency, promptly the difference between sliding friction and static friction is very little or minimum.

[0033] For example, elastic plastics, in particular thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) or plastics made of cross-linked elastomers can be used for the damping element 4. The damping element 4 can be made of materials such as SBR, TUR, TPU, EPDM, NBR, NR, etc. For certain applications, it is also conceivable to use foamed plastic materials for the damping element 4. It should also be noted that the material used for the damping element 4 is preferably stable to the rail oils that are often used.

[0034] The guide shoe housing 2 is connected to the elevator car or counterweight, and the liner 3 is inserted into the channel-shaped receiving portion of the guide shoe housing forming the aforementioned groove. Figure 1 In the present embodiment, the guide shoe housing 2 is designed as a metal profile with a U-shaped cross section and a relatively simple structure.

[0035] The guide shoe housing 2 has two opposite, parallel side wall segments 17 and a bottom segment 18 connecting the side wall segments. The bottom segment and the side wall segments extending at right angles from the bottom segment form a "U" shape in cross section. Figure 1In the embodiment of the present invention, it is shown schematically and by way of example that one of the side wall segments 17 is lengthened to form a fixing region 19 for connection to the elevator car or counterweight. However, in addition to a simple U-shaped profile shape, the guide shoe housing can also have other shapes; for example, housing shapes known and familiar to the person skilled in the art, for example from DE 203 15 915 U1.

[0036] In order to fix the pad 3 in place, the guide shoe housing 2 has two holes 7 arranged opposite each other in the parallel side wall sections 17 of the guide shoe housing, into which the pin 6 engages. The pin 6 consists of an annular buffer element 8 corresponding to the damping element 4 and a retaining cam 13 corresponding to the sliding element 5, which is received in a hole marked 12 in the buffer element 8. The buffer element 8 of the pin 6 has a profiled outer contour formed by projections, forming a star shape. The vibration insulation achieved by means of such a profiled or shaped pin 6 can significantly increase the driving comfort.

[0037] from Figure 2 It can be seen that the damping element 4 has a U-shaped profile body 10. Two annular damping elements 8 are molded onto the profile body 10, which together with the profile body form a one-piece, integral component. The respective damping element 8 has a star-shaped cross section to form the profile. The profile of the pin 6, which extends axially with the pin, has webs 11 that are evenly distributed on the circumference and point radially outward.

[0038] The design details of the sliding element 5 can be found in Figures 3 to 5 As learned from Figure 3 It can be seen that the sliding element 5 is designed as a U-shaped profile at least in the operating position, with two mutually opposite side edges 22 and a bottom edge 23 connecting the side edges to each other. The sliding element 5 is designed to be foldable. The side edges 22 are respectively hinged to the bottom edge 23 via film hinges 25. Figure 3 The slide element 5 is shown in a position or state before it is inserted into the damping element 4 or before it is assembled in the guide shoe housing. In this position, the slide element 5 is still slightly spread out in its operating position, i.e. after assembly, and the side edges 22 extend parallel to each other. The retaining cam 13 of the slide element 5 is designed as a solid cylinder.

[0039] The sliding element 5 is designed as a one-piece plastic part, which can be easily manufactured by an injection molding process. Of course, other manufacturing processes are also feasible. For example, it is conceivable to produce the sliding element 5 by an additive process (such as 3D printing). Cutting manufacturing methods can also be considered (especially when the sliding element is made of UHMPE, for example). Therefore, it is advantageous to first produce the sliding element by injection molding and then partially or completely reprocess it. Due to this post-processing, the sliding surface can be accurately manufactured, thereby accelerating the running-in performance and the elevator has better ride comfort from the beginning.

[0040] The sliding element 5 has a base 22 with an inner side 26 which is circular in cross section and faces the end of the guide rail in order to achieve an optimal sliding surface for a circular guide rail. The side sliding surfaces 27 adjacent to the inner side 26 are designed to be flat.

[0041] The upper and lower ends 20 , 21 of the sliding element 5 have rounded bevels or converging surfaces 28 in lateral sections. Figure 4 Such a rounded bevel 28 is shown at the upper end 20 of the sliding element, facing the guide rail.

[0042] Figure 5 The slide element 5 after the slide element 5 designed in a foldable manner has been spread or placed on a plane is shown. The slide element 5 is visibly formed in a manner with a rhombus outer contour. Instead of rhombus, other outer contour shapes can also be considered if necessary. For example, the segmentation of the side edge side of the upper and lower ends 20, 21 and the segmentation of the bottom edge side can have different slopes respectively. The orientation of the inclined plane in the side edge 22 and / or the bottom edge 23 can also be different. Therefore, when the slide element 5 is spread or placed on a plane, the slide element can have a slope that converges to each other in the side portion of the side edge side. It is conceivable that the structure is arrow-shaped. The middle segmentation of the upper and / or lower ends 20, 21 of the slide element 5, that is, the segmentation equivalent to the bottom edge 23 can even have a horizontal direction.

Claims

1. A sliding guide shoe (1) for an elevator for transporting people or goods, the sliding guide shoe comprising a guide shoe housing (2) and a sliding element (5), wherein: When the sliding guide shoe (1) is assembled in an elevator, the sliding element (5) comprises an upper end (20) and a lower end (21), characterized in that at least one of the upper end and the lower end (20, 21) has a non-horizontal direction along the corresponding end, and the sliding element (5) is formed in the following manner: the unfolded form of the sliding element has a diamond-shaped outer contour, wherein the non-horizontal direction refers to the direction in which the corresponding end starts from a vertical longitudinal edge of the sliding element (5) and extends to another opposite vertical longitudinal edge of the sliding element (5).

2. The sliding guide shoe according to claim 1, characterized in that Each of the upper and lower ends (20, 21) has a non-horizontal orientation along the respective end.

3. The sliding guide shoe according to claim 1, characterized in that At least one of the upper end and the lower end (20, 21) of the sliding element (5) has an inclined course at least in sections along the corresponding end (20, 21).

4. The sliding guide shoe according to claim 3, characterized in that The inclined upper end and / or lower end (20, 21) of the sliding element (5) at least partially encloses an inclination angle (α) relative to the horizontal line.

5. The sliding guide shoe according to claim 4, characterized in that The inclination angle (α) is between 5° and 45°.

6. The sliding guide shoe according to claim 5, characterized in that The inclination angle (α) is between 10° and 30°.

7. The sliding guide shoe according to claim 6, characterized in that The inclination angle (α) is 17°.

8. The sliding guide shoe according to any one of claims 3 to 7, characterized in that The sliding element (5) is designed as a U-shaped profile, the U-shaped profile having two side edges (22) opposite to each other and a bottom edge (23) located between the side edges and connecting the side edges to each other, and the side edge segments and the bottom edge segments of at least one of the upper end and the lower end (20, 21) of the sliding element (5) have the same slope.

9. The sliding guide shoe according to claim 8, characterized in that The two side edges (22) opposite to each other extend in parallel.

10. The sliding guide shoe according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that The sliding element (5) having two side edges (22) and a bottom edge (23) connecting the side edges to each other is designed to be foldable, the respective side edge (22) being connected to the bottom edge (23) by means of a film hinge (25).

11. The sliding guide shoe according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that The unfolded state of the sliding element has a rhombus-shaped outer contour when the sliding element (5) designed to be foldable is spread out or placed on a flat surface.

12. The sliding guide shoe according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that The sliding element (5) has a base (23) with an inner side (26) which is circular in cross section.

13. The sliding guide shoe according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that At least one of the upper and lower ends (20, 21) of the sliding element (5) has a rounded contact surface (28) at least in a lateral section.

14. The sliding guide shoe according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that The sliding element (5) is a component of a two-part lining (3) which has a damping element (4) arranged between the sliding element (5) and the guide shoe housing (2).

15. The sliding guide shoe according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that The sliding element (5) has at least one retaining cam (13), which is received or can be received in a predetermined hole (12) in the area of ​​an annular buffer element (8), which forms a pin (6) engaging in a hole (7) in the guide shoe housing (2), the pin (6) being designed in a molded manner.

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