Method for forming and leveling guide rails for elevator installations in the form of hollow profiles

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for forming and smoothing a guide rail (101) of an elevator system in the form of a hollow profile, the method comprising using a smoothing device (1). The smoothing device (1) is designed to smooth mutually opposing surfaces (109, 111) on the guide rail (101) of the elevator system in the form of a hollow profile. The smoothing device (1) comprises a guiding device (3), a removal device (5) and a pressing device (7). The guiding device (3) is configured, for example, by means of rollers (15), to move along a first surface (109) of the opposing surfaces (109, 111) in a longitudinal direction (9) with low friction, and thereby guide the smoothing device (1) along the first surface (109). The pressing device (5) is configured, for example, by means of a spring element (21), to press the removal device (7) away from the guiding device (3) and toward a second surface (111) of the opposing surfaces (109, 111). The removal device (5) is configured, for example by means of a rasp element (25), to remove material from the second surface (111) while moving along the second surface (111) in the longitudinal direction (9).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a method for forming and smoothing a guide rail of an elevator installation, which is embodied as a hollow profile. Background Art

[0002] Elevator systems are used to transport people between different heights within a building. They typically have at least one elevator car and, in many cases, a counterweight coupled in opposite directions to the elevator car. The elevator car and, if necessary, the counterweight typically move vertically within the elevator shaft and are guided by guide rails.

[0003] Typically, there are guide rails for guiding the elevator car on the one hand and guide rails for guiding the counterweight on the other. The surfaces of the guide rails can serve as guide surfaces, on which, for example, guide shoes and / or guide rollers provided on the elevator car can be supported in order to provide lateral guidance of the elevator car during its vertical movement along the guide shaft. In many cases, the surfaces of the guide rails can also serve as braking surfaces, on which brakes mounted on the elevator car can act in order to brake the movement of the elevator car relative to the guide rails. The brakes can be used, for example, as emergency stop brakes and / or anti-fall brakes.

[0004] Typically, guide rails are formed using a profile with a T-shaped cross-section. These typically consist of multiple segments, which are mounted on the shaft wall of the elevator shaft, one above the other and aligned with one another along the travel path. The solid center web of the T-shaped profile projects from the shaft wall into the interior of the elevator shaft and can be surrounded, for example, by a guide shoe mounted on the elevator car. The guide shoe can have guide rollers or sliding elements that run along the opposing surfaces of the center web of the T-shaped profile and can be supported thereon. If necessary, the same surface can also serve as a braking surface.

[0005] The surface of a conventional T-shaped guide rail should be as flat as possible. WO 2019 / 008708 A1 describes a device for flattening such a guide rail.

[0006] The installation of elevator systems with conventional guide rails can be laborious. In particular, since different guide rails are often used for the elevator car on one side and the counterweight on the other, the complexity of installing these guide rails can be high. Furthermore, since the same guide rail surfaces serve as both guide and braking surfaces, the problem arises that these surfaces can deform in the event of an emergency brake, thereby impairing their quality as guide surfaces.

[0007] Special guide rails have been developed for elevator systems, with which the aforementioned disadvantages can be reduced. These guide rails are constructed using hollow profiles, which can be shaped more complexly than conventional T-profiles and with which a plurality of different guide and / or braking surfaces can be formed on a single guide rail.

[0008] Examples of such hollow profile guide rails are described in earlier patent applications filed by the applicant of the present application. For example, prior application WO2020127787 describes possible configurations of hollow profile guide rails, which may also be implemented for the guide rails described herein, and the contents of the prior application are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

[0009] The use of hollow profile guide rails can reduce the effort involved in installing elevator systems, as significantly fewer guide rails are required in the elevator shaft, ideally only one or two. The hollow profile can preferably be formed by joining and / or welding different sheet metal strips. The hollow profile can be produced relatively dimensionally stable, easily, and / or cost-effectively.

[0010] In this case, the hollow profile is usually first produced as a continuous strip and then divided into shorter partial strips for transport purposes. The partial strips can then be fixed in the elevator shaft during assembly of the elevator system. The partial strips should be arranged one above the other parallel to the travel path of the elevator car so that they are substantially aligned with one another and abut flush against one another to form a guide rail in which a plurality of guide and / or braking surfaces extend as flatly and without gaps as possible along the travel path.

[0011] However, it has been recognized that, for example, when an initially produced long hollow profile strip is divided into partial strips, burrs may form at the resulting separation points. Furthermore, it is known that local deformations may occur during the production of the hollow profile strip and / or during its division into partial strips, so that the cross-section of the hollow profile is not uniform along the entire length of the guide rail. Instead, the guide rail composed of partial strips may have local lateral unevenness.

[0012] It has been observed that burrs and / or lateral unevenness on the guide rails can cause problems during the operation of elevator installations. For example, increased wear can occur when guide shoes on the elevator car are repeatedly guided over burrs or lateral unevenness. Alternatively or additionally, significant noise can be generated, for example, when guiding the guide shoes of the elevator car over burrs or lateral unevenness. This noise is not only audible inside the elevator car and therefore to passengers, but can also be distributed over the guide rails and thus be perceived in a disturbing manner throughout the entire building. Summary of the Invention

[0013] Therefore, it is necessary to be able to form guide rails in elevator installations with the least possible effort and, in particular, to avoid the aforementioned problems caused by burrs and / or unevenness on the guide rails as much as possible. In particular, there may be a need to be able to flatten the surface of guide rails designed as hollow profiles effectively, reliably and / or with little effort.

[0014] This need is met by the subject matter according to one of the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments are defined in the dependent claims and in the following description.

[0015] According to the present invention, a method for forming a guide rail of an elevator system in the form of a hollow profile is described. The method comprises the following steps:

[0016] Provide multiple sections of rails,

[0017] The adjacent segments are arranged to overlap each other and be aligned with each other in the longitudinal direction,

[0018] Leveling mutually opposing surfaces on the hollow profile of the guide rail by inserting a leveling device between the mutually opposing surfaces of the guide rail so that the guiding device bears against a first of the surfaces and the removing device bears against a second of the surfaces, wherein

[0019] The leveling device comprises:

[0020] Guidance device,

[0021] Removal device, and

[0022] Clamping device,

[0023] wherein the guide device is configured to move with low friction in a longitudinal direction along a first surface of the opposing surfaces and thereby guide the smoothing device along the first surface;

[0024] wherein the pressing device is configured to press the removal device away from the guiding device and toward the second surface of the opposing surfaces, and

[0025] wherein the removal device is configured to remove material from the second surface while moving along the second surface in a longitudinal direction, and

[0026] The flattening device is displaced longitudinally along the first surface.

[0027] An independent first invention not included in the claims may be a leveling device for leveling mutually opposing surfaces on a guide rail in the form of a hollow profile in an elevator system. The leveling device comprises a guiding device, a removing device, and a pressing device. The guiding device is configured to move longitudinally along a first surface of the opposing surfaces with low friction, thereby guiding the leveling device along the first surface. The pressing device is configured to press the removing device away from the guiding device and toward a second surface of the opposing surfaces. The removing device is configured to remove material from the second surface when moving longitudinally along the second surface.

[0028] A second independent invention not included in the claims may be a method for leveling mutually opposing surfaces on a guide rail in the form of a hollow profile in an elevator system. The method comprises at least the following steps:

[0029] inserting the leveling device according to the embodiment of the independent first invention not included in the claims between mutually opposing surfaces of the guide rail so that the guiding device bears against a first of the surfaces and the removing device bears against a second of the surfaces, and

[0030] The flattening device is displaced longitudinally along the first surface.

[0031] An independent third invention not included in the claims may consist in a method for forming a guide rail of an elevator installation, which is implemented as a hollow profile, wherein the method comprises at least the following steps:

[0032] Provide multiple sections of rails,

[0033] Arranging adjacent segments one above the other and aligned with one another in the longitudinal direction, and

[0034] The mutually facing surfaces of the hollow profile of the guide rail are flattened by means of a method according to an embodiment of the independent second invention which is not included in the claims.

[0035] The enabling features and advantages of embodiments of the present invention may be considered to be based on the concepts and discoveries described below, including but not limited to the present invention.

[0036] In short, the basic concept underlying the present invention is the recognition that tools and methods such as those used to smooth unevenness during the installation of conventional T-profile guide rails are often unsatisfactory for guide rails constructed as hollow profiles. Therefore, to smooth unevenness on such hollow profile guide rails, a tool in the form of a smoothing device with a simple structure, specifically adapted to the conditions of such guide rails, is proposed. This tool allows smoothing unevenness simply, effectively, and without a high risk of damaging the guide rail surface. The smoothing device is designed to be inserted between opposing surfaces of the guide rail. On the one hand, the smoothing device is supported on and guided by one of the opposing surfaces using a guide device. On the other hand, a removal device is designed to remove protruding material from the second, opposing surface of the guide rail. To this end, the removal device is specifically pressed away from the guide device toward the second surface by a pressing device with a suitable mechanical preload. The entire smoothing device can be constructed relatively simply. For example, the smoothing device can be designed without active actuators and / or controllers. Alternatively, the smoothing device can be placed on the guide rail by a technician as a passive tool and then moved along the guide rail, smoothing the surface of the guide rail.

[0037] Embodiments of the leveling device and possible features and advantages of the use of the leveling device will be explained in more detail below.

[0038] As briefly explained at the outset, guide rails in elevator systems have typically been constructed using a plurality of solid T-shaped profiles. The T-shaped profiles are arranged one behind the other. A key-and-groove structure can be provided on the end faces of the T-shaped profiles, allowing adjacent T-shaped profiles to be aligned with one another. If necessary, adjacent T-shaped profiles can be welded together at the end faces. The resulting unevenness can be smoothed using tools such as angle grinders, rail planers, belt grinders, or similar tools.

[0039] Modern hollow-profile guide rails are constructed from sheet metal, which has a significantly lower material thickness than the T-shaped profiles of conventional guide rails. Consequently, the end faces of these hollow-profile guide rails typically lack a key-and-slot structure. Consequently, aligning adjacent guide rails can be more complex than with conventional guide rails. For example, connecting elements or pins may be inserted into the hollow profiles of adjacent guide rails to align the rails relative to one another.

[0040] However, it has been observed that during the production of hollow profile rails, and in particular during the division of long rail strips into individual partial strips or rail segments, the rail segments can become slightly deformed, particularly near their ends. This means that the shape and / or dimensions of the cross section of the rail segment can vary locally. Alternatively, the cross section of the hollow profile rail segment can be slightly "undulated" along its longitudinal extension. This can result in lateral unevenness on the surface of the rail.

[0041] Burrs on the end faces of the rail segments and / or an inexactly aligned arrangement of adjacent guide rail segments can also lead to lateral unevenness on the surface of the guide rail.

[0042] The described lateral unevenness should be smoothed, in particular in order to avoid excessive wear on the components to be guided (eg guide shoes, guide rollers, etc.) and / or in order to avoid excessive noise generation when such components to be guided are displaced over the unevenness.

[0043] However, it should be recognized that the methods and tools used for smoothing conventional T-profile guide rails are often unsuitable for hollow profile guide rails. For example, it should be recognized that conventional rail planers are generally unsuitable for smoothing the relatively complexly shaped surfaces of hollow profile guide rails. Attempts to smooth out unevenness using, for example, angle grinders also often yield inadequate results. In particular, it should be recognized that the use of such conventional methods and tools carries a high risk of damaging the sensitive surfaces of hollow profile guide rails, for example by causing localized dents and / or removing layers of corrosion protection.

[0044] Therefore, a method is proposed, which includes using a tool in the form of a leveling device. Although the tool is relatively simple in construction, it is particularly adapted to the requirements and actual conditions when leveling uneven portions of hollow profile guide rails.

[0045] The leveling device has a guiding device, a removing device and a pressing device. The feasible design schemes and characteristics of these components are introduced in detail below.

[0046] The guide device is configured to guide the leveling device along a first of two opposing surfaces of the hollow profile as the leveling device moves longitudinally along the guide rail. To this end, the guide device is designed to move longitudinally along the first surface with low friction. The friction between the guide device and the first surface of the guide rail should be kept sufficiently low so that the entire leveling device can be moved along the guide rail, preferably manually, by a technician.

[0047] In order to be able to guide the device precisely along the first surface, the guide device should be able to be supported on the first surface in a planar manner or at a plurality of spaced-apart locations.

[0048] According to one embodiment, the guiding device can have at least two abutment devices for this purpose, which are arranged and designed so that the leveling device abuts against the first surface with a abutment surface of each of the two abutment devices and can move along the first surface with low friction so as to guide the leveling device along the first surface.

[0049] The abutment device can be configured as a sliding element or a roller, for example. Here, the abutment surface can be a sliding surface of the sliding element facing the first surface of the guide rail, or a circumferential surface of the roller. The sliding element or roller can be formed of or coated with a material that achieves low sliding resistance or zero rolling resistance when moving along the first surface of the guide rail.

[0050] According to one embodiment, the two contact devices are arranged spaced apart with respect to the longitudinal direction.

[0051] In other words, at least two abutment devices can be arranged on the leveling device in such a manner that the abutment devices are arranged one behind the other in the longitudinal direction. The spacing between the abutment devices can preferably be greater than the typical dimensions of the unevenness to be leveled. For example, such a spacing can be greater than 5 cm, preferably greater than 10 cm.

[0052] According to one embodiment, the guide device may include at least one roller arranged and configured such that the smoothing device abuts against the first surface via a circumferential surface of the roller and rolls along the first surface to guide the smoothing device along the first surface.

[0053] Preferably, the guide device has at least two rollers which are arranged and designed such that the smoothing device bears against the first surface with a respective circumferential surface of the roller and rolls along the first surface in order to guide the smoothing device along the first surface.

[0054] By designing at least one or preferably even at least two abutting means of the guiding device as rollers, the guiding device can be moved along the first surface of the guide rail with particularly low friction. Here, the corresponding circumferential surface of the rollers defines the relative positioning of the guiding device with respect to the first surface.

[0055] According to one embodiment, the removal device can be configured to contact the second surface of the guide rail at multiple contact locations spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction along the plane, and in the process, the second surface contacts at least one sharp removal component so as to remove material from the second surface while moving along the second surface in the longitudinal direction.

[0056] In other words, the removal device is preferably designed so that it not only abuts the second surface opposite the first surface at a point or along a straight line transverse to the longitudinal direction, but also contacts the second surface at multiple different locations that are spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction and lie in a common plane. Thus, the removal device is supported on the second surface of the guide rail in a planar manner or at multiple points in a plane formed by the second surface. The guide device is supported on the first surface of the guide rail in such a manner that it can be guided by the first surface and cannot tilt relative to the first surface, while the removal device is similarly supported on the opposite second surface of the guide rail in such a manner that it is guided by the second surface and cannot substantially tilt relative to the second surface.

[0057] The removal device includes a removal member. At least one end of the removal member, which faces the second surface of the guide rail, is sharp. The removal member is arranged and held on the removal device so that the sharp end of the removal member contacts the second surface. When the removal device is moved longitudinally relative to the second surface of the guide rail, material that extends beyond the sharp removal member is removed from the second surface, for example, by cutting. The removal member can, for example, include a separate blade and thus be configured similarly to a planer.

[0058] Utilize the removing device designed in this way, the leveling device can effectively and simply level the lateral unevenness at the second surface of the guide rail.Here, can minimize following risk, that is, more material than required is removed and produces recess thereby.

[0059] According to one embodiment, the removal device may include a plurality of sharp removal members, which are configured to contact the second surface of the guide rail at a plurality of contact locations along the plane, and the plurality of contact locations are longitudinally spaced apart from each other so as to remove material from the second surface during movement along the second surface in the longitudinal direction.

[0060] In other words, the removal device can be provided with multiple removal components, each of which contacts the second surface of the guide rail with a sharp end. The contact points where the different removal components contact the second surface should be arranged longitudinally, one behind the other, and spaced apart from one another. As the leveling device moves longitudinally along the second surface of the guide rail, the different removal components can successively remove material from the second surface at different contact points.

[0061] Each of the different removal elements can have a sharp blade similar to that of a plane. Alternatively, the removal devices can have multiple protruding, sharp burrs on a common surface. For example, the removal devices can be configured similarly to a file. As another alternative, the removal device can be provided with multiple sharp tips as removal elements, which the removal device can use to remove material from the second surface. For example, the removal device can be configured similarly to a file or a surface covered with sandpaper.

[0062] With a removal device designed in this manner, excess material on the lateral unevenness of the second surface of the guide rail can be removed particularly efficiently and / or gently.

[0063] According to one embodiment, the removal element has a width in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction which at least corresponds to the width of the second surface to be flattened.

[0064] In other words, the blade or the burr or the sum of the sharp points can have a width at least as wide as the second surface of the guide rail to be smoothed. Thus, the smoothing device can smooth the second surface over its entire width without having to displace the smoothing device in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction.

[0065] According to one embodiment, the removal device may be a passive, inherently rigid component.

[0066] In other words, the removal device can be designed as a passive component that cannot generate movement itself. In particular, the removal device does not require a drive, control, energy supply, and / or similar devices, as is required for an angle grinder or belt grinder. Instead, the removal device can be designed as a very simple component and only removes material from the surface, similar to a planer, rasp, or the like, when it is moved relative to the surface by a person.

[0067] The removal device can be designed as an inherently rigid component in which individual regions or parts of the removal device are essentially immovable relative to other regions or parts of the removal device. In particular, the removal device can be designed as a single piece. For example, the removal device can be designed as a plate with blade-like or sharp protrusions provided on the side facing the second surface.

[0068] According to one embodiment, the removal device can be held positionally fixed relative to the guiding device in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction.In addition, the removal device can be held displaceably relative to the guiding device in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction, away from the guiding device.

[0069] In other words, the leveling device can be designed so that its removal device can move at least slightly in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction (in which direction the leveling device should be displaced when leveling the guide rail), but cannot itself be displaced in the longitudinal direction relative to the guiding device. Accordingly, if the leveling device moves along the guide rail in the longitudinal direction, the guiding device and the removal device always remain at the same height relative to the longitudinal direction. Therefore, the guiding device can always properly support the removal device and be guided along the first surface of the guide rail. However, the removal device can here move slightly transverse to the longitudinal direction, towards or away from the guiding device. Accordingly, the removal device can to a certain extent follow any unevenness or deviations from a perfectly parallel orientation of the first and second surfaces. Here, the removal device is supported on the guiding device by a clamping device and is mechanically preloaded by the clamping device toward the second surface to be leveled.

[0070] According to one embodiment, the pressing device has at least one elastic spring element which is supported on one side on the guide device and on the other side on the removal device.

[0071] In other words, the hold-down device has at least one elastically deformable spring element. This elastically deformable element can be, for example, a spring, an elastomeric member, or the like. The spring element is held or supported on the guide device on one side. On the opposite side, the spring element is held or supported on the removal device. Accordingly, the spring element of the hold-down device connects the guide device to the removal device, so that the guide device and the removal device can slightly move toward each other or move away from each other due to the elastic deformability of the spring element.

[0072] The elasticity or spring constant of the spring element can be selected such that the removal device is supported on the guide device by the pressing device in such a way that it is pressed against the second surface of the guide rail to be smoothed with a desired force or pressure. The force or pressure can be selected such that, on the one hand, excess material is effectively removed from the surface to be smoothed during the longitudinal movement of the smoothing device, and, on the other hand, the forces occurring therein, in particular the frictional forces acting in opposition to the longitudinal movement, are not too high, so that the smoothing device can preferably be moved manually without problems by a person.

[0073] According to one embodiment, the pressing device has at least two elastic spring elements, which are each supported on one side on the guide device and on the other side on the removal device, and are arranged spaced apart from one another in the longitudinal direction.

[0074] In other words, the removal device can be supported on the guide device by at least two spring elements spaced apart in the longitudinal direction. This allows for a spatially uniform force transmission between the guide device and the removal device. In particular, excessive tilting of the guide device relative to the removal device about an axis transverse to the longitudinal direction can be avoided.

[0075] This embodiment of the leveling device can be used in a method according to an embodiment of the second aspect of the present invention to level the surface of a guide rail in the following manner: First, the leveling device is inserted between the opposing surfaces of the guide rail. The leveling device is positioned so that its guide device rests on one side against and can be supported by the first surface of the guide rail, and its removal device rests on the other side against the second surface of the guide rail to be leveled and is pressed against it by the pressure exerted by the pressing device. The leveling device is then continuously moved longitudinally along the guide rail, thereby moving along the first and second surfaces of the guide rail.

[0076] The leveling device is preferably moved by a technician, who, for example, holds it by a handle provided thereon and pushes it along the guide rail. During this longitudinal movement, the removal device removes excess material from the lateral irregularities on the second surface of the guide rail. If necessary, the leveling device may be reciprocated multiple times in the longitudinal direction. To also level the first surface of the guide rail, the leveling device can be removed from its position between the opposing surfaces, then rotated 180° and reinserted, whereupon it can be displaced longitudinally again, with the removal device resting against the first surface.

[0077] In the method for forming a guide rail designed as a hollow profile according to an embodiment of the third aspect of the present invention, after a plurality of provided sections or segments of the guide rail have been arranged adjacent to each other in the longitudinal direction, one above the other and aligned with one another, this smoothing of the opposing surfaces can be performed. Any burrs or other lateral unevennesses, such as those that occur preferably at the transitions between adjacent sections of the guide rail, can be smoothed out easily and with minimal effort.

[0078] It should be noted that some possible features and advantages of the present invention are described herein with reference to different embodiments of the leveling device on the one hand and the leveling method on the other hand. A person skilled in the art will recognize that these features can be combined, adapted or replaced in a suitable manner to realize other embodiments of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0079] The embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein neither the drawings nor the description should be considered as limiting the present invention.

[0080] Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of a guide rail designed as a hollow profile is shown.

[0081] Figure 2 A side view of a leveling device according to an embodiment of the invention is shown between the surfaces to be leveled of a guide rail designed as a hollow profile.

[0082] Figure 3 A top view showing a removal device of a leveling device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0083] The figures are schematic and not drawn to scale. Identical reference numerals indicate identical or identically functioning features. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0084] Figure 1 A cross-section of a guide rail 101 for elevator equipment, implemented as a hollow profile, is shown. Unlike conventional guide rails, which are typically constructed from solid, T-shaped steel profiles several millimeters thick, guide rail 101 is formed from relatively thin sheet metal. The sheet metal can be provided as a rolled profile or strip. The hollow profile forming guide rail 101 can have a relatively complex geometry, with multiple different surfaces formed on the outside of the hollow profile. These different surfaces serve different functions during use of guide rail 101.

[0085] For example, Figure 1 The guide rail 101 shown in FIG has a first region that forms a guide surface 103 for guiding the elevator car. The guide surface 103 comprises a first surface 109, a second surface 111, and a third surface 113. The first surface 109 and the second surface 111 are opposite each other and connected by a third surface 113, which is arranged transversely to the two surfaces 109, 111. Preferably, the first surface 109 and the second surface 111 extend parallel to each other. A total of three surfaces 109, 111, 113 form the guide surface 103 with a concave U-shaped cross section. A guide element, such as a guide shoe or guide roller mounted on the elevator car, can move along these guide surfaces 103 and is supported on these three surfaces 109, 111, 113, so that the elevator car can be guided in three spatial directions.

[0086] In another area, the guide rail 101 forms guide surfaces 105 for guiding the counterweight. In the example shown, these guide surfaces 105 consist of two convex subareas of the hollow profile, bent 180° and oriented in opposite directions. The guide shoes on the counterweight can rest on opposite surfaces on each of these subareas, so that the counterweight can be guided in four spatial directions overall.

[0087] Furthermore, the guide rail 101 may have a braking surface 107 on which the elevator car and / or the counterweight may be braked, for example by engaging brake shoes. In the example shown, the braking surface 107 is formed by a convexly curved or folded portion of a hollow profile.

[0088] The entire guide rail 101, which may be tens of meters or even hundreds of meters long, is usually composed of segments 101a, 101b. In particular, the transition joints 115 between adjacent segments 101a, 101b (see Figure 2 ), lateral unevenness may occur here, for example due to burrs formed when dividing the strip, which is initially designed as a continuous hollow profile, into partial strips or due to local deformations on the segments 101a, 101b. Unevenness may also occur due to locally varying thicknesses of the metal sheet used for the guide rail 101.

[0089] In convex areas, such as those on the guide surface 105 for guiding the counterweight or on the braking surface 107, local unevenness can be relatively easily smoothed out with the aid of suitable tools. However, in concavely designed areas, such as those that form the guide surface 103 for guiding the elevator car and that project into the interior of the hollow profile in a U-shaped manner, smoothing out lateral unevenness can be difficult. In particular, attempts to smooth out lateral unevenness in such concavely designed areas using conventional tools have been observed to very easily result in irreversible damage, such as local depressions in the guide rail 101. Furthermore, corrosion protection layers, such as zinc layers, applied to the surface of the hollow profile can be damaged or partially removed during conventional attempts to smooth out such surfaces, which can lead to subsequent corrosion phenomena on the guide rail 101.

[0090] Therefore, a special tool in the form of a leveling device 1 will be described. An exemplary embodiment of this leveling device 1 is shown in FIG. Figure 2 Shown in.

[0091] The leveling device 1 comprises a guide device 3, a removal device 5, and a pressing device 7. If the leveling device 1 is inserted into a concavely configured area of ​​the guide rail 101, which area has a first surface 109 and a second surface 111 opposite the first surface, the guide device 3 can be moved along the first surface 109 with low friction, while the removal device 5 is pressed against the second surface 111 by the pressing device 7 supported on the guide device 3. Preferably, a predetermined pressing force, associated with the pressing device 7, acts between the removal device 5 and the second surface 111. The removal device 5 is designed to remove laterally protruding material from the second surface 111 of the guide rail 101 and thereby level it when the leveling device 1 is moved in the longitudinal direction 9 along the guide rail 101.

[0092] In the illustrated embodiment, the smoothing device 1 has two contact devices 11 in the form of rollers 15. When the smoothing device 1 moves in the longitudinal direction 9, the rollers 15 can each bear against the first surface 109 with their circumferential surfaces 17, serving as contact surfaces 13, and roll along this first surface with low friction. The two rollers 15 are spaced apart from one another with respect to the longitudinal direction 9, so that the guide device 1 can be supported on the first surface 109 of the guide rail 1 via the rollers 15 at locations spaced apart in the longitudinal direction 9. In the illustrated example, the two rollers 15 are rigidly connected to one another by one or more longitudinal struts 23.

[0093] A holding-down device 7 is provided between the guide device 3 and the removal device 5 in order to elastically spread the two aforementioned components apart in a direction away from one another, that is, transversely to the longitudinal direction 9. For this purpose, in the example shown, the holding-down device 7 comprises two spring elements 21, one end of which is attached to the guide device 3, for example, to the longitudinal struts 23, and the other end of which cooperates with the removal device 5. The spring elements 21 are dimensioned in terms of their size and spring tension such that, when the smoothing device 1 is used between the two surfaces 109, 111, the desired mechanical prestressing of the removal device 5 toward the second surface 111 to be smoothed is achieved.

[0094] The removal device 5 can be designed as a passive, inherently rigid component. For example, it can be designed as a solid plate having one or more sharp removal elements 19 on its surface facing the surface 111 to be leveled. The removal elements 19 are preferably designed and arranged so that, when the leveling device 1 is arranged between two surfaces 109, 111 extending parallel to one another, they contact the surface 111 to be leveled of the guide rail 101 at a plurality of contact points 29 spaced apart from one another in the longitudinal direction 9. The various contact points 29 preferably all lie in a common plane, which corresponds to the plane of the surface 111 to be leveled.

[0095] exist Figure 2 and Figure 3 In the embodiment shown in FIG, the removal device 5 can be designed in the form of a rasp element 25. On a rigid cuboid base body 31, an outwardly projecting rasp structure 33 can be provided, which is sharp at its edge facing away from the base body 31 and projecting toward the surface 101 to be flattened. The rasp element 25 of the removal device 5 can have the following width B (see Figure 3 ), which width corresponds substantially to the width b of the surface 111 to be leveled (see Figure 1 ).

[0096] To smooth the second surface 111, the smoothing device 1 can be manually inserted between the two surfaces 109, 111 by a technician. The technician can then move the smoothing device 1 in the longitudinal direction 9 along the guide rail 101, for example, using the handle 27 provided thereon. The smoothing device 1 can be moved along the first surface 109 with relatively low friction by its guide device 3 and guided by the first surface. Simultaneously, the removal device 5 is pressed evenly and parallel to the first surface 109 by the pressing device 7 onto the second surface 111, and, using its sharp removal elements 19, removes any laterally protruding material from the second surface 111 in the area of ​​the contact points 29. Due to the precise guidance of the smoothing device 1 and the uniform pressure of the removal device 5 on the second surface 111, the risk of excess material being removed from the second surface 111 and the resulting formation of dents is very low. Furthermore, by pressing the removal device 5 onto the second surface 111 only with a limited pressure, which is predefined by the pressing device 7 , it is generally possible to prevent the corrosion protection layer present on the surface 111 to be smoothed from being locally removed or damaged.

[0097] Finally, it should be noted that terms such as "having," "comprising," and the like do not exclude other elements or steps, and terms such as "a" or "an" do not exclude a plurality. Furthermore, it should be noted that features or steps described with reference to one of the above embodiments can also be used in combination with other features or steps of other embodiments described above. Reference numerals in the claims should not be construed as limiting.

Claims

1. A method for forming a guide rail (101) for an elevator installation, the guide rail being implemented as a hollow profile, the method comprising: providing a plurality of segments (101a, 101b) of the guide rail (101), The adjacent segments (101a, 101b) are arranged one above the other and aligned with each other in the longitudinal direction (9), The present invention relates to a method for flattening mutually opposing surfaces (109, 111) of a hollow profile of a guide rail (101) by inserting a flattening device (1) between the mutually opposing surfaces (109, 111) of the guide rail (101), so that: the guiding device (3) abuts against a first surface (109) of the surfaces (109, 111), and the removing device (5) abuts against a second surface (111) of the surfaces (109, 111), wherein The leveling device (1) has: Guiding device (3), Removal device (5), and Clamping device (7), The guide device (3) is configured to move in a longitudinal direction (9) along a first surface (109) of the opposing surfaces (109, 111) with low friction, and thereby guide the smoothing device (1) along the first surface (109). The pressing device (5) is configured to press the removal device (7) away from the guide device (3) and toward the second surface (111) of the opposite surfaces (109, 111), and wherein the removal device (5) is configured to remove material from the second surface (111) when moving along the second surface (111) in the longitudinal direction (9), and The leveling device (1) is displaced in the longitudinal direction (9) along the first surface (109).

2. The method according to claim 1, in, The guiding device (3) of the leveling device (1) has at least two abutting devices (11), which are arranged and designed in such a way that the leveling device (1) abuts against a first surface (109) with a abutting surface (13) of each of the two abutting devices (11) and moves along the first surface (109) with low friction, so as to guide the leveling device (1) along the first surface (109).

3. The method according to claim 2, in, The two contact devices (11) are arranged spaced apart with respect to the longitudinal direction (9).

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, in, The guide device (3) has at least one roller (15), which is arranged and configured so that the smoothing device (1) rests on the first surface (109) with the circumferential surface (17) of the roller (15) and rolls along the first surface (109) in order to guide the smoothing device (1) along the first surface (109).

5. The method according to claim 4, in, The guide device (3) has at least two rollers (15), which are arranged and designed so that the smoothing device (1) rests on the first surface (109) with a respective circumferential surface (17) of the roller (15) and rolls along the first surface (109) to guide the smoothing device (1) along the first surface (109).

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, in, The removal device (5) is configured to contact the second surface (111) of the guide rail (101) at a plurality of contact locations spaced apart from one another in the longitudinal direction (9) along a plane, and to contact the second surface (111) with at least one sharp removal element (19) in order to remove material from the second surface (111) while moving along the second surface (111) in the longitudinal direction (9).

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, in, The removal device (5) has a plurality of sharp removal members (19) configured to contact the second surface (111) of the guide rail (101) at a plurality of contact locations spaced apart from one another in the longitudinal direction (9) along the plane so as to remove material from the second surface (111) while moving along the second surface (111) in the longitudinal direction (9).

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein: The removal element (19) has a width (B) in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction (9), which width corresponds at least to the width (b) of the second surface (111) to be leveled.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, in, The removal device (5) is a passive, inherently rigid component.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, in, The removal device (5) is held in a fixed position relative to the guide device (3) in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction (9), and is held in a displaceable manner away from the guide device (3) in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction (9).

11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, in, The pressing device (7) has at least one elastic spring element (21), which is supported on one side on the guide device (3) and on the other side on the removal device (5).

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, in, The pressing device (7) has at least two elastic spring elements (21), which are each supported on one side on the guide device (3) and on the other side on the removal device (5), and are arranged spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction (9).

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