Elevator system comprising a protective shaft liner assembly

Abstract

An illustrative example elevator system includes a hoistway establishing a vertical pathway. The hoistway has an interior boundary established by a plurality of fixed boundaries each having a height aligned with a vertical length of the hoistway. Each of the fixed boundaries has a width substantially perpendicular to the height. An elevator car is located within the hoistway. At least one vertically extending load bearing assembly includes a plurality of elongate load bearing members extending along the vertical pathway and facilitating movement or support of the elevator car. At least one hoistway liner assembly is located in the hoistway. The hoistway liner assembly includes a plurality of shock absorbers each having an axis substantially perpendicular to the vertical length of the hoistway. Axes of at least two of the shock absorbers are non-parallel. The shock absorbers collectively establish a protected region sufficient to prevent contact between the load bearing assembly and the interior boundary of the hoistway when any of the load bearing members moves laterally relative to the vertical pathway in at least two substantially perpendicular directions.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of Chinese patent application No. 201810314032.7, filed on April 9, 2018 (priority date April 7, 2017), entitled "Elevator System Including Protective Shaft Liner Assembly". Background Technology

[0002] An elevator system includes machines for moving an elevator car vertically through a shaft. Different types of machine arrangements can be used in different building configurations. Taller and high-rise buildings typically include traction-based machine arrangements and rope assemblies for suspending the elevator car and counterweight. The machines move the rope assemblies to cause the elevator car to move as desired.

[0003] In traction-based elevator systems, the rope assembly travels along a designed path based on the position of the sheave within the hoistway. In taller buildings, the length of the rope assembly, combined with the building's ability to move in response to strong winds, heat, or seismic conditions, can cause the rope assembly to unintentionally deviate from its designed path. Various sway mitigation devices have been proposed to address various scenarios, such as earthquakes, when the rope assembly experiences lateral movement. Many of these devices are designed to withdraw from the elevator car's passageway and selectively move to a position to contact the rope assembly, thereby reducing rope sway. Another type of sway mitigation method utilizes a "car follower," which is a rope pulley acting as a 2:1 rope assembly that is pulled upwards and anchored below the car to limit compensating rope movement. These devices add weight to the machine and rope, which is an undesirable limiting condition.

[0004] Supertall buildings introduce additional complexities because, in addition to building swaying, which includes motion such as oscillations, there may also be static deflection or offset, including steady-state deflection. Some previously proposed sway mitigation devices may not be applicable to such offset conditions because these devices must be moved into the elevator car's passageway to function. Furthermore, the conditions of the rope assembly may prevent sway mitigation devices from influencing the rope assembly's position based on how the sway mitigation device is located within the shaft.

[0005] It is necessary to provide protection for elevator rope assemblies in buildings (such as super high-rise buildings) where static building offset may occur, which introduces the possibility of damage to the rope assemblies or interference with normal elevator system operation. Invention Summary

[0006] An illustrative exemplary elevator system includes a shaft that establishes a vertical passage. The shaft has an internal boundary established by a plurality of fixed boundaries, each fixed boundary having a height aligned with the vertical length of the shaft. Each of the fixed boundaries has a width substantially perpendicular to the height. An elevator car is located within the shaft. At least one vertically extending load-bearing component includes a plurality of elongated load-bearing members extending along the vertical path and facilitating movement or support of the elevator car. At least one shaft liner assembly is located within the shaft. The shaft liner assembly includes a plurality of dampers, each damper having an axis substantially perpendicular to the vertical length of the shaft. The axes of at least two of the dampers are not parallel. The dampers collectively establish a protected area sufficient to prevent contact between the load-bearing component and the internal boundary of the shaft when either of the load-bearing members moves laterally relative to the vertical path along at least two substantially perpendicular directions.

[0007] In one embodiment of the elevator system having the features described in the preceding paragraph, the protected area surrounds the load-bearing component, the load-bearing component is laterally movable within the protected area toward the inner boundary of the hoistway, and the protected area is smaller than the hoistway area defined by the inner boundary of the hoistway.

[0008] In one embodiment of an elevator system having any of the features described in the preceding paragraphs, the shock absorber includes a roller.

[0009] In one embodiment of an elevator system having any of the features described in the preceding paragraphs, the roller comprises a compressible material that absorbs at least some of the impacts associated with contact between the load-bearing component and one of the rollers in contact.

[0010] In one embodiment of an elevator system having any of the features described in the preceding paragraphs, the roller comprises at least one of rubber and polyurethane.

[0011] In one embodiment of an elevator system having any of the features described in the preceding paragraphs, the shock absorbers each have an effective thickness that establishes the distance between the interior of the barrier established by the shaft liner assembly and the corresponding wall, the shock absorbers each have a shock absorber width that is substantially perpendicular to the shock absorber thickness, and the shock absorber width of at least one of the shock absorbers is approximately equal to the difference between the width of one of the walls and the thickness of at least one of the shock absorbers.

[0012] In one embodiment of an elevator system having any of the features described in the preceding paragraphs, the shaft liner assembly includes a plurality of mounting brackets supporting the shock absorber in a respective selected vertical position, and the effective thickness is based on the dimensions of the mounting brackets and the material thickness of the shock absorber.

[0013] In one embodiment of an elevator system having any of the features described in the preceding paragraphs, the width of at least one of the shock absorbers overlaps with the width of at least another of the shock absorbers.

[0014] In one embodiment of an elevator system having any of the features described in the preceding paragraphs, at least one of the shock absorbers is vertically positioned above at least one of the shock absorbers.

[0015] In one embodiment of an elevator system having any of the features described in the preceding paragraphs, the hoistway includes a plurality of hoistway doors at corresponding locations along the length of the hoistway, each of the hoistway doors having an associated door lock, at least one of the hoistway liner dampers being located near the top of one of the hoistway doors and the associated door lock, the at least one of the hoistway liner dampers being movable between a first protected position and a second retracted position, in the first protected position preventing contact between the load-bearing component and the door lock, and in the second retracted position allowing the elevator car to move to a position where the car door on the elevator car can engage with the hoistway door.

[0016] In one embodiment of an elevator system having any of the features described in the preceding paragraphs, the controller determines when to move at least one of the shaft liner dampers to the second retracted position based on the position of the elevator car within the shaft.

[0017] In an embodiment of an elevator system having any of the features described in the preceding paragraphs, the at least one shaft liner assembly comprises a plurality of shaft liner assemblies located at corresponding selected vertical positions in the shaft.

[0018] In one embodiment of an elevator system having any of the features described in the preceding paragraphs, there is a vertical interval between adjacent vertical positions in the selected vertical positions, and the vertical interval is at least about 50 meters.

[0019] In an implementation of an elevator system having any of the features described in the preceding paragraphs, the vertical interval is approximately 100 meters.

[0020] In one embodiment of an elevator system having any of the features described in the preceding paragraphs, the shaft liner assembly is located at a vertical position below the vertical midpoint of the shaft.

[0021] In one embodiment of an elevator system having any of the features described in the preceding paragraphs, the shaft liner assembly includes at least one intermediate damper located in the space between a first portion of the load-bearing assembly that moves with the elevator car in a first direction and a second portion of the load-bearing assembly that moves with the counterweight in an opposite second direction, and the at least one intermediate damper creates a barrier between the first and second portions of the load-bearing assembly at the location of the intermediate damper.

[0022] In one embodiment of an elevator system having any of the features described in the preceding paragraphs, the at least one intermediate damper includes a plurality of intermediate damper rollers supported on a bracket, one of the intermediate damper rollers being at least partially located above the bracket, another of the intermediate damper rollers being at least partially located below the bracket, and the axis of the at least one of the dampers being laterally offset from the axis of the at least other damper.

[0023] In an embodiment of an elevator system having any of the features described in the preceding paragraphs, the elevator system includes at least one other vertically extending member associated with the elevator car, the at least one other vertically extending member being at least partially movable with the elevator car, and the shaft liner assembly preventing contact between the at least one other vertically extending member and the internal boundary of the shaft in the vertical position.

[0024] In one embodiment of an elevator system having any of the features described in the preceding paragraphs, at least one of the shock absorbers is movable between a first protected position and a second retracted position, and the first protected position is positioned closer to the center of the shaft than the second retracted position.

[0025] In one embodiment of an elevator system having any of the features described in the preceding paragraphs, the plurality of shock absorbers comprises a plurality of groups of shock absorbers, each group having at least two shock absorbers having axes that are not parallel to each other, and the at least two shock absorbers in each group having a vertical spacing between the shock absorbers along the vertical height of the shaft.

[0026] In an embodiment of an elevator system having any of the features described in the preceding paragraphs, the at least two shock absorbers in each group have overlapping portions to establish a portion of the protected area, wherein any of the elongated members of the load-bearing component can transition from contact with one of the at least two shock absorbers to contact with the other of the at least two shock absorbers without moving into the gap between the overlapping portions.

[0027] In one embodiment of an elevator system having any of the features described in the preceding paragraphs, the plurality of dampers includes at least three dampers, and the at least three dampers are associated with corresponding different boundaries in the fixed boundary.

[0028] In one embodiment of an elevator system having any of the features described in the preceding paragraphs, the protected area surrounds the load-bearing component.

[0029] In one embodiment of an elevator system having any of the features described in the preceding paragraphs, the plurality of shock absorbers includes at least one shock absorber whose axis is aligned with the width of each of the fixed boundaries.

[0030] From the following detailed description, various features and advantages of at least one of the disclosed exemplary embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The accompanying drawings can be briefly described below. Attached Figure Description

[0031] Figure 1 Selected portions of an elevator system designed according to one embodiment of the present invention are shown schematically.

[0032] Figure 2 An exemplary wellbore liner assembly is schematically shown as viewed from above in a plan view.

[0033] Figure 3 As shown in the plan view from one side Figure 2 An exemplary wellbore liner assembly.

[0034] Figure 4 Features of an exemplary embodiment of a wellbore liner assembly are shown.

[0035] Figure 5 Features of another exemplary embodiment of the wellbore liner assembly are shown.

[0036] Figure 6 This illustration schematically depicts elevator rope snagging behavior caused by building offset.

[0037] Figure 7Another exemplary embodiment of the wellbore liner assembly is schematically shown in a plan view viewed from above.

[0038] Figure 8 schematically shown Figure 7 Selected portion of an exemplary wellbore liner assembly. Detailed Implementation

[0039] Figure 1 Selected portions of elevator system 20 are schematically shown, including an elevator car 22 and a counterweight 24 within a shaft 26. In this example, shaft 26 is located within a supertall building with a height of approximately 200 meters to 1000 meters. Other embodiments use an alternative elevator system configuration that does not include a counterweight, such as a drum machine configuration. Various elevator system configurations may include a protective shaft liner assembly designed according to one embodiment of the invention.

[0040] In the illustrated example, a rope or load-bearing assembly 28 connects the elevator car 22 to the counterweight 24. The load-bearing assembly 28 includes multiple load-bearing components, such as wire ropes or load-bearing belts, that suspend the weight of the elevator car 22 and the counterweight 24. The traction machine 30 includes a traction sheave that selectively moves the load-bearing assembly 28 to selectively move the elevator car 22. The rope or belt of the load-bearing assembly 28 is an elongated, vertically extending component within the hoistway 26.

[0041] The compensating rope assembly 32 connects the counterweight 24 to the elevator car 22 and partially winds around the compensating rope pulley 34 to provide compensation in a known manner.

[0042] The shaft 26 includes multiple floors and doors, allowing passengers to enter or exit the elevator car 22. For simplicity, Figure 1 Only one hoistway door 36 is included, associated with floor 38. Those skilled in the art will recognize that more hoistway doors and floors will be included along hoistway 26, especially in very tall buildings. A door locking mechanism 40 is associated with hoistway door 36 to prevent those doors from being opened unless the elevator car 22 is properly positioned at floor 38.

[0043] At least one shaft liner assembly 50 is located at a selected vertical height within the shaft 26. The shaft liner assembly 50 includes a plurality of dampers 52. The shaft liner assembly 50 establishes a barrier along the inner boundary of the shaft at its vertical position.

[0044] The elevator system 20 shown includes multiple shaft liner assemblies 50. For simplicity, in... Figure 1 Only two shaft liner assemblies 50 are shown. The vertical positions of the shaft liner assemblies may be spaced approximately 50 meters apart. In some instances, the shaft liner assemblies are installed approximately every 100 meters along the interior of the shaft 26.

[0045] Some exemplary embodiments will include a single wellbore liner assembly 50 within the wellbore. In such embodiments, the wellbore liner assembly 50 is preferably located below the vertical midpoint of the wellbore 26.

[0046] Figure 2 and Figure 3 Exemplary shaft liner assembly configurations are shown in top and side views, respectively. In this example, multiple dampers 52 include rollers supported on brackets 54, which are secured to a shaft wall 56 or another fixed structure within the shaft, such as a guide rail. The brackets 54 support the rollers 52 in a manner that allows the rollers 52 to rotate freely. In this example, two rollers 52A are positioned vertically above the other two rollers 52B, such that the rollers collectively surround or enclose a protected area 58 containing the load-bearing assembly 28. The protected area 58 is large enough to allow an elevator car 22 to move through it without contacting the dampers 52. Providing sufficient space for the elevator car to move within the protected area 58 allows the protection provided by the dampers 52 to remain available at all times, which is superior to arrangements requiring protective or sway damping members that move into the elevator car's passageway during temporary swaying conditions. The illustrated embodiment provides protection in the protected area 58 during static or steady-state building offset conditions and temporary swaying conditions.

[0047] Shock absorbers 52 collectively span the width of a sufficient number of walls 56 of the shaft 26 to prevent contact between the load-bearing assembly 28 and the internal boundaries of the shaft 26 as the load-bearing assembly 28 moves laterally within the shaft 26 in at least two generally perpendicular directions. For example, if the height of the shaft 26 is considered to be the z-axis of a Cartesian coordinate system, then the shaft liner assembly 50 protects the load-bearing assembly 28 as it moves laterally along the x-axis or y-axis of the reference coordinate system. In one embodiment, if the load-bearing assembly moves laterally relative to the side of the shaft 26 including the shaft door 36 in a left-right or front-back direction, then the protected area 58 provides protection for the load-bearing assembly 28. In some embodiments, the presence of shock absorbers 52 aligned with at least two of the walls 56 of the shaft 26 provides sufficient protection. In other embodiments, the shock absorbers 52 collectively span the width of at least three of the walls 56 of the shaft 26. The illustrated embodiment has a portion of the shaft liner assembly 50 located above all the walls of the shaft 26.

[0048] As used herein, the terms "wall" and "multiple walls" should not be interpreted strictly. Various structures within the hoistway can be included as part of a wall, such as distribution beams and other supporting structures. The wall is a fixed boundary along the passageway of the elevator car. In this example, the internal boundary of hoistway 26 is defined by the inner surface of the hoistway wall 56. The internal boundary of the hoistway can be considered to include other structures within the hoistway located where such other structures may be contacted by the load-bearing component 28 under certain conditions.

[0049] exist Figure 2 and Figure 3 In some embodiments, one aspect of the arrangement of the rollers 52 is the overlap between the rollers used to enclose the protected area 58 at a vertical position of the shaft liner assembly 50. The overlap between the rollers 52 adequately accommodates or establishes the boundary around the area 58 in a manner that prevents the load-bearing assembly 28 or any of its load-bearing components from leaving the protected area 58 and, at least at the vertical position, from contacting the internal boundary of the shaft 26. In some embodiments, the overlap between the rollers includes an overlap between multiple portions of two or more rollers that are parallel to each other and aligned with one of the shaft walls. Such an overlap allows the damper or roller 52 to be shorter than the corresponding wall width while still providing protection across the entire width.

[0050] like Figure 2 As shown, the shaft wall 56 has an internal width dimension W. In this example, the internal boundary of the shaft 26 has a perimeter corresponding to the inner surface of the wall 56. The damper 52A has a damper width BW, which is smaller than the width W of the shaft wall 56. The effective thickness T of the damper 52B is the dimension by which the damper 52B extends inwardly from the inner surface of the wall 56 and is spaced apart. The damper width BW is at least as large as the distance equal to the difference between the width W and the effective thickness T. Thus, the damper with the width BW sufficiently spans the width W of the wall 56 to establish a barrier along the inner side of the shaft's internal boundary.

[0051] Figure 2 and Figure 3 The overlap between rollers 52A and 52B is achieved by placing roller 52A at a selected vertical position above roller 52B. This overlap feature prevents any component of the load-bearing assembly (e.g., belts or ropes) from moving between the rollers.

[0052] Figure 4Two exemplary rollers 52A and 52B with axes angled to each other are shown. The rope of the load-bearing assembly 28 approaches the inner surface or wall of the shaft and contacts the rollers. The movement of the rope 28, schematically indicated by arrow 59, shows the transition from one roller 52B to the other roller 52A. This overlap ensures such a transition within or between the dampers of the shaft liner assembly 50 without allowing the rope 28 to be fitted between either damper and the shaft interior. This overlap prevents the rope 28 from being hooked or stuck in any gap between the rollers or between the rollers and the shaft interior. In other words, the overlapping arrangement of the rollers 52 allows such lateral, translational movement of the load-bearing assembly 28 while keeping the load-bearing assembly 28 within the protected space 58.

[0053] Figure 5 The illustration shows a feature in an exemplary embodiment where shock absorbers 52 of the wellbore liner assembly are distributed within the wellbore, wherein the vertical spacing between the shock absorbers is (e.g.) greater than [missing information]. Figure 3 The spacing shown is illustrated. In this embodiment, the rollers are spaced approximately 3 meters (or 10 feet) apart in the vertical direction. This embodiment includes the overlapping features discussed above, and even through... Figure 5 As shown in the vertical spacing, the shock absorber 52 provides safe, protected translational movement between the shock absorbers or rollers 52, while keeping the load-bearing components within the protected area 58.

[0054] In the shaft liner assembly 50 designed according to the present invention, various vertical spacings and relative orientations of the dampers are possible. Those skilled in the art who have read this specification will be able to recognize how the components of the shaft liner assembly 50 are positioned to meet the needs of their specific situations. For example, the expected lateral movement behavior of vertically extending members (such as load-bearing members) in a particular building can be modeled, and appropriate spacing of the dampers designed according to embodiments of the present invention can be selected to avoid contact between the vertically extending members and the shaft interior, even when the members are laterally displaced from a predetermined vertical path or location.

[0055] Figure 6 A building condition is schematically illustrated, wherein the upper portion of the building has a static offset relative to the lower portion. Shaft 26 has... Figure 6 The vertical, perfectly designed orientation is shown in the diagram using imaginary lines. Due to environmental conditions or other factors, static offset of the building causes the actual position of shaft 26 to deviate from the designed orientation.

[0056] As designed, the load-bearing component 28 travels along a path schematically shown at 60, which is defined (for example) by the position of the sheave within the shaft 26. When there are... Figure 6As illustrated in the diagram, when a building deviates, load-bearing assembly 28 tends to deviate from its design path 60 due to, for example, the effect of gravity on the elongated load-bearing members of the load-bearing assembly (or lanyard) 28. Under some such conditions, one or more segments of the load-bearing assembly 28 may come into contact with the internal boundary of the shaft 26. The shaft liner assembly 50 is located at a selected vertical position within the shaft to prevent contact between the load-bearing members of the load-bearing assembly 28 and the internal boundary of the shaft 26, which in some instances corresponds to the inward-facing surface of the shaft wall.

[0057] In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, the roller 52 comprises a compressible material that at least partially absorbs the impact between the load-bearing component 28 and the shock absorber 52 when the load-bearing component 28 comes into contact with the shock absorber 52. In some instances, the roller 52 comprises polyurethane. In other instances, the roller 52 comprises rubber. The material of the shock absorber or roller 52 is preferably abrasion-resistant and provides a degree of damping against the forces associated with the impact or contact between the load-bearing component 28 and the shock absorber 52.

[0058] In one example, the roller comprises a cylinder rotatable about an axis or rod. In one exemplary embodiment, the diameter of the roller cylinder is approximately 150 mm, with a hollow central core. In some examples, the diameter of the central core is approximately 75 mm. Various damper configurations can be used in wellbore liner assemblies designed according to embodiments of the present invention.

[0059] A feature of the hoistway liner assembly 50 designed according to an embodiment of the invention is that it is always located at a selected vertical position within the hoistway and positioned to allow the elevator car 22 to move within the hoistway. This differs from some previously proposed rope sway mitigation devices, which selectively protrude outward toward the center of the hoistway to contact the elevator ropes and (e.g.) reduce oscillations during earthquakes. The hoistway liner assembly 50 provides good protection for the load-bearing component 28 under static building offset conditions because the shock absorber does not need to move to or out of the hoistway liner assembly to protect the load-bearing component 28 from undesirable contact between any load-bearing member and the internal boundary of the hoistway 26.

[0060] Figure 7 An exemplary arrangement of the shock absorbers 52 of the shaft liner assembly 50 is schematically shown. In this example, more than one shock absorber or roller is associated with at least one of the inward-facing walls of the shaft 26. For example, in Figure 7On the left side, two rollers 52 are oriented parallel to the leftmost wall (according to the diagram), which is the surface of the inner boundary of the hoistway 26 on that side. In this example, the elevator car guide rail 66 is located between the two shock absorbers 52. The shock absorbers 52 collectively span the width of the wall defining the inner boundary of the hoistway 26, rather than individually extending completely across the wall in an uninterrupted manner. The shock absorbers are positioned to create a barrier to prevent contact between the load-bearing assembly 28 and the inner boundary of the hoistway at the vertical position of the hoistway liner assembly 50. Given other structural features of the exemplary hoistway, the shock absorbers 52 are strategically positioned to provide the desired amount of protection.

[0061] Figure 7 A feature of the shaft liner assembly 50 in the example is that it includes at least one damper 52', which is selectively movable between a first protected position and a second retracted position. In the protected position, the roller 52' ​​is positioned sufficiently far within the shaft to create a barrier near a component or structure (such as a door lock 40 at an adjacent shaft doorway) to prevent contact between any load-bearing member of the load-bearing assembly 28 and the component or structure (e.g., door lock 40). This prevention of contact at this position protects the integrity of such components or structures and the load-bearing assembly 28.

[0062] Given the narrow gap between the elevator car door and the hoistway door, the shock absorber 52' ​​can retract horizontally outward relative to the center of the hoistway 26. Moving the shock absorber 52' ​​in this manner will cause it to avoid the elevator car 22 as the car approaches a landing near the shock absorber 52'. In this example, the controller 70 selectively moves the shock absorber 52' ​​to a second retracted position based on information about the position of the elevator car 22. Many elevator systems include one or more devices for monitoring the position of the elevator car 22 within the hoistway. Such information can be provided to the controller 70 to allow the controller 70 to determine when to move the shock absorber 52' ​​to the second retracted position. In one example, the controller 70 includes a microprocessor programmed to determine the appropriate time to move the shock absorber 52'.

[0063] Another feature of the shock absorbers 52, 52' or 52” is that they are designed so that the hanging rope or tensioning member 28 cannot be moved behind the shock absorber to a position where the tensioning member might get stuck.

[0064] Figure 7Another feature of the example is that the hoistway liner assembly 50 includes at least one intermediate damper 52”, which is located in the space between a first portion of the load-bearing component 28 that moves with the elevator car 22 in a first direction and a second portion of the load-bearing component 28 that moves with the counterweight 24 in the opposite second direction. At least one intermediate damper 52” prevents contact between corresponding portions of the load-bearing components 28 at a vertical position of the hoistway liner assembly 50. Another feature of the intermediate roller 52” is that the intermediate roller, in conjunction with other dampers 52, establishes an area at a vertical position of the hoistway liner assembly 50 in which a portion of the load-bearing component 28 moving in the same direction as the counterweight 24 will be accommodated.

[0065] Figure 8 An exemplary arrangement of the intermediate damper 52” is schematically shown. In this example, the counterweight guide rail 80 provides support for the mounting bracket 82. Multiple rollers 52” are supported on the bracket 82, with one of those rollers 52” at least partially above the bracket 82 and another of those intermediate rollers 52” at least partially below the bracket 82. Figure 6 The arrangement of the multiple rollers shown ensures that the load-bearing component 28 will not come into contact with the bracket 82 under most anticipated building offset conditions.

[0066] Figure 8 The two-layer shock absorber assembly can provide increased protection between the moving tensioning members, and can also be used in cases where the shock absorber is a rotating device that separates vertically extending members that move upward on both sides of the roller. In this case, to avoid one roller being in contact on both sides, the top roller and the bottom roller are offset at a small angle, thus allowing them to rotate in only one direction each.

[0067] The hoistway pad assembly designed according to embodiments of the present invention allows for economical handling of situations where static building offsets may occur, potentially affecting the orientation and vertical path of load-bearing components within the elevator system. Furthermore, the hoistway pad assembly 50 provides protection for any elongated vertically extending components within the elevator system, such as the compensating rope assembly 32 or the travel cable (not shown). The hoistway pad assembly 50 can remain in a single position within the hoistway without requiring any actuation mechanism to move the damper to the protected position or out of the elevator car or counterweight's path. The hoistway pad assembly 50 prevents any ropes, belts, or cables extending vertically within the hoistway from contacting fixed hoistway equipment, fixtures, or wall surfaces that could otherwise damage such vertically extending components.

[0068] While the shaft liner assembly 50 can be used for static building offset or deflection conditions, it can also be used for periodic vibrations and oscillations that may occur under conditions such as strong winds or earthquakes.

[0069] The foregoing description is exemplary in nature and not restrictive. Changes and modifications to the disclosed examples that do not necessarily depart from the spirit of the invention will be obvious to those skilled in the art. The scope of legal protection afforded to the invention can be determined solely by reading the appended claims.

Claims

1. An elevator system, comprising: A shaft that establishes a vertical passage has an internal boundary defined by a plurality of fixed boundaries, each of the fixed boundaries having a height aligned with the vertical length of the shaft, and each of the fixed boundaries having a width substantially perpendicular to the height. An elevator car located within the shaft; At least one vertically extending load-bearing component comprising a plurality of elongated load-bearing members, the load-bearing component extending along a vertical path and facilitating the movement or support of the elevator car; as well as At least one shaft liner assembly located in the shaft, the shaft liner assembly including a plurality of dampers, each of the plurality of dampers having an axis substantially perpendicular to the vertical length of the shaft, the axes of at least two of the dampers being non-parallel, the dampers collectively establishing a protected area sufficient to prevent contact between the load-bearing component and the inner boundary of the shaft in the event of any lateral movement of the load-bearing component relative to the vertical path along at least two substantially perpendicular directions, wherein the protected area is larger than the area defined by the outer boundary of the elevator car, such that the elevator car is movable through the protected area; The shock absorbers each have an effective thickness that establishes the distance between the interior of the barrier established by the wellbore liner assembly and a corresponding wall in the wall; The shock absorbers each have a width that is generally perpendicular to the thickness of the shock absorber; as well as The width of at least one of the shock absorbers is equal to the difference between the width of one of the walls and the effective thickness of at least one of the shock absorbers; The wellbore liner assembly includes a plurality of mounting brackets that support the shock absorber in respective selected vertical positions; and The effective thickness is based on the dimensions of the mounting bracket and the material thickness of the shock absorber; The width of at least one of the shock absorbers overlaps with the width of at least another of the shock absorbers, wherein at least one of the shock absorbers is vertically positioned above the at least another of the shock absorbers to achieve the overlap between the shock absorbers.

2. The elevator system as described in claim 1, wherein... The protected area surrounds the load-bearing component; The load-bearing component is capable of lateral movement within the protected area toward the inner boundary of the shaft; and The protected area is smaller than the wellbore area defined by the inner boundary of the wellbore.

3. The elevator system of claim 1, wherein the shock absorber comprises a roller.

4. The elevator system of claim 3, wherein the roller comprises a compressible material that absorbs at least some of the impacts associated with contact between the load-bearing component and one of the rollers in contact.

5. The elevator system of claim 4, wherein the roller comprises at least one of rubber and polyurethane.

6. The elevator system as claimed in claim 1, wherein The shaft includes a plurality of shaft doors at corresponding locations along the length of the shaft; Each of the shaft doors has an associated lock; At least one of the shaft liner dampers is located near the top of one of the shaft doors and the associated door lock; At least one of the shaft liner dampers is movable between a first protected position and a second retracted position; In the first protected position, at least one of the shaft liner dampers prevents contact between the load-bearing component and the door lock; as well as In the second retracted position, at least one of the shaft liner dampers allows the elevator car to move to a position where the car door on the elevator car can engage with the shaft door.

7. The elevator system as claimed in claim 6, comprising A controller that determines when to move at least one of the shaft liner dampers to the second retracted position based on the position of the elevator car within the shaft.

8. The elevator system of claim 1, wherein the at least one shaft liner assembly comprises a plurality of shaft liner assemblies located at corresponding selected vertical positions in the shaft.

9. The elevator system as claimed in claim 8, wherein There is a vertical interval between adjacent vertical positions in the selected vertical position; and The vertical spacing is at least 50 meters.

10. The elevator system of claim 9, wherein the vertical interval is 100 meters.

11. The elevator system of claim 1, wherein the shaft liner assembly is located at a vertical position below the vertical midpoint of the shaft.

12. The elevator system of claim 1, wherein The shaft liner assembly includes at least one intermediate damper located in the space between a first portion of the load-bearing assembly that moves with the elevator car in a first direction and a second portion of the load-bearing assembly that moves with the counterweight in the opposite second direction; and The at least one intermediate shock absorber establishes a barrier between the first and second portions of the load-bearing assembly at its location.

13. The elevator system of claim 12, wherein The at least one intermediate shock absorber includes a plurality of intermediate shock absorber rollers supported on a bracket; One of the intermediate shock absorber rollers is located at least partially above the support; The other of the intermediate shock absorber rollers is at least partially located below the support; and The axis of at least one of the shock absorbers is laterally offset from the axis of at least another of the shock absorbers.

14. The elevator system as claimed in claim 1, wherein The elevator system includes at least one other vertically extending member associated with the elevator car; The at least one other vertically extending member may move at least partially with the elevator car; and The wellbore liner assembly, in its vertical position, prevents contact between the at least one other vertically extending member and the inner boundary of the wellbore.

15. The elevator system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the shock absorbers is movable between a first protected position and a second retracted position; and The first protection position is positioned closer to the center of the wellbore than the second retracted position.

16. The elevator system of claim 1, wherein The plurality of shock absorbers includes multiple sets of shock absorbers; Each group has at least two shock absorbers, and the at least two shock absorbers have axes that are not parallel to each other; and The at least two shock absorbers in each group have a vertical height along the shaft and a vertical spacing between the at least two shock absorbers.

17. The elevator system of claim 16, wherein The at least two shock absorbers in each group have overlapping portions to establish a portion of the protected area, wherein any of the elongated members of the load-bearing assembly is capable of transitioning from contact with one of the at least two shock absorbers to contact with the other of the at least two shock absorbers without moving into the gap between the overlapping portions.

18. The elevator system of claim 1, wherein The plurality of shock absorbers includes at least three shock absorbers; and The at least three shock absorbers are associated with corresponding different boundaries in the fixed boundary.

19. The elevator system of claim 18, wherein The protected area surrounds the load-bearing component.

20. The elevator system of claim 18, wherein The plurality of shock absorbers includes at least one shock absorber, the at least one shock absorber having its axis aligned with the width of each of the fixed boundaries.

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