Submersible lifting device based on buoyancy principle and method of using same

Abstract

This invention discloses a submersible lifting device based on the principle of buoyancy, comprising a shaft; a buoyancy drive unit including a sealed submersible chamber located in the lower part of the shaft or underground; a water supply system including a water storage container, and a water pump and pipeline system connecting the water storage container and the submersible chamber's internal cavity; a lifting guide mechanism including vertically arranged guide rails and guide components; a car connected to the top of the submersible chamber via a rigid support rod, and connected to the guide components; a control system for controlling the water pump system to adjust the water volume in the submersible chamber, changing the buoyancy to drive the car's lifting and lowering. The driving force of this technical solution originates from still water buoyancy, eliminating the mechanical risks of rapid descent or overshooting due to cable breakage or traction failure. Even if power is lost, the system will automatically stabilize at a balanced position, ensuring high safety.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of vertical transportation technology, specifically to a lift or elevator system for use inside and outside buildings, and more particularly to a device that utilizes the principle of buoyancy and gravity balance to achieve car lifting. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, mainstream elevators (such as traction elevators) generally suffer from the following technical defects: Safety risks: Relying on steel cable traction and mechanical braking, there is a risk of steel cable breakage or brake failure leading to overshooting or bottoming out.

[0003] Energy efficiency and noise: Heavy counterweights are required, and friction between the traction machine and guide rails generates significant energy consumption and operating noise.

[0004] Space and structural constraints: It requires a top-floor server room and a deep pit, which places high demands on the building structure and occupies valuable space.

[0005] High maintenance costs: Components such as traction systems, steel cables, and guide wheels require regular maintenance and replacement, resulting in high complexity and costs.

[0006] Lifting height and load capacity are limited: Lifting height is limited by factors such as the strength of the steel cable and traction force, making it difficult to achieve the lifting height of extra-large or heavy cars.

[0007] Inherent design flaws are difficult to eradicate: As equipment ages, systemic problems such as friction, vibration, and imbalance are difficult to completely resolve.

[0008] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a lifting technology solution that fundamentally changes the driving principle to improve safety, energy efficiency, quietness, and reduce space requirements and maintenance costs. Summary of the Invention

[0009] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: A submersible lifting device based on the principle of buoyancy includes: Well shaft; The buoyancy drive unit includes a sealed submersible chamber located in the lower part of the well or underground; A water supply system, including a water storage container and a water pump and piping system connecting the water storage container to the internal cavity of the diving chamber; The lifting guide mechanism includes vertically arranged guide rails and guide components; The car is connected to the top of the diving chamber via a rigid support rod, and is also connected to the guide component; A control system is used to control the water pump system to adjust the amount of water in the diving chamber and change the buoyancy to drive the car to rise and fall.

[0010] Furthermore, the depth of the water storage container is not less than the maximum travel height of the car.

[0011] Furthermore, the water pump system includes at least two independently controlled submersible pumps, used for injecting water into the submersible chamber and draining water, respectively.

[0012] Furthermore, the interior of the diving chamber is equipped with a watertight compartment to enhance its structural strength.

[0013] Furthermore, the rigid support rod is a hollow structure, and part of the water pipes or cables of the pipeline system are inserted inside it.

[0014] Furthermore, the car can be a single-layer, double-layer, or multi-layer structure.

[0015] This application also discloses a method of using the above-mentioned lifting device, including: Descent steps: Control the water pump to inject water into the submersible chamber, increase its total weight so that it is greater than the buoyancy force, and drive the car to descend; Ascent Step: Control the water pump to drain the water from the submersible chamber, reducing its total weight to be less than the buoyancy force, and drive the car to rise; Stopping procedure: Stop the water pump to fix the water volume in the diving chamber, balance buoyancy and gravity, and bring the car to a standstill.

[0016] Furthermore, the lifting speed of the car can be controlled by adjusting the flow rate or power of the water pump.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: The driving force of this technical solution comes from the buoyancy of still water, eliminating the mechanical risks of rapid descent or overshooting caused by steel cable breakage or traction failure. Even if power is lost, the system will automatically stabilize at the equilibrium position, ensuring high safety.

[0018] The energy of this device is directly used to overcome water resistance and change potential energy, eliminating frictional losses from traction machines and wire ropes, resulting in significantly higher overall energy efficiency than traditional elevators. The main motion is a static equilibrium process, with noise sources limited to the operation of the water pump and slight friction noise from the guide rails, far lower than the mechanical and electromagnetic noise of the traction machine. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the overall structure of a specific embodiment of the present invention; The reference numerals in the accompanying drawings include: 1. Submersible chamber; 2. Water storage container; 3. Car; 4. Support rod; 5. Water pump; 6. Inlet pipe; 7. Outlet pipe. Detailed Implementation

[0020] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the present invention, the technical solution of the present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0021] The accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are schematic diagrams, not actual images. They should not be construed as limiting the scope of this patent. To better illustrate the embodiments of the present invention, some components in the drawings may be omitted, enlarged, or reduced, and do not represent the actual dimensions of the product. It is understandable to those skilled in the art that some well-known structures and their descriptions may be omitted in the drawings. The same or similar reference numerals in the drawings of the embodiments of the present invention correspond to the same or similar components.

[0022] like Figure 1 As shown, a submersible lifting device based on the principle of buoyancy according to the present invention includes a shaft, a buoyancy drive unit, a lifting guide mechanism, a car 3, and a control system. The shaft is vertically fixed to the inside or outside of the building; The buoyancy drive unit is located in the lower part of the shaft or extends underground, and includes a sealed submersible chamber 1. This chamber has a watertight structure and can withstand the pressure of the corresponding water depth. The water supply system includes a water storage container 2 (such as a water tank buried deep underground) and a water pump 5 and a pipeline system that connects the water storage container 2 with the interior of the submersible chamber 1.

[0023] Water can be injected into or discharged from the diving chamber 1 by controlling water pump 5; The lifting guide mechanism includes a vertically arranged guide rail and a guide component that moves along the guide rail; The car 3 is used to carry people or goods, and is rigidly connected to the top of the diving chamber 1 via a rigid support rod 4, and is also connected to guide components. The car 3, support rod 4, and diving chamber 1 constitute a rigid load-bearing body that can move vertically as a whole; The control system is used to receive instructions and control the start, stop and flow of the water pump 5 system to adjust the buoyancy of the submersible chamber 1 and realize the positioning, start, stop and speed control of the car 3.

[0024] The aforementioned lifting and guiding mechanism and control system are all existing technologies. For specific structures and connection methods, please refer to the technical solutions mentioned in relevant technical documents. The aforementioned structures are not within the protection scope of this application.

[0025] The driving force of this technical solution comes from the buoyancy of still water, eliminating the mechanical risks of rapid descent or overshooting caused by steel cable breakage or traction failure. Even if power is lost, the system will automatically stabilize at the equilibrium position, ensuring high safety.

[0026] The energy of this device is directly used to overcome water resistance and change potential energy, eliminating frictional losses from traction machines and wire ropes, resulting in significantly higher overall energy efficiency than traditional elevators. The main motion is a static equilibrium process, with noise sources limited to the operation of the water pump and slight friction noise from the guide rails, far lower than the mechanical and electromagnetic noise of the traction machine.

[0027] This device also includes other auxiliary control systems, such as a monitoring system, a voice intercom system, and a lighting system.

[0028] The depth of the water storage container 2 is not less than the maximum lifting height required by the car 3, so as to ensure that there is sufficient water pressure difference to achieve the drainage operation.

[0029] To better control the raising and lowering of the device, the water pump system 5 includes at least two submersible pumps 5, which are used to inject water into the submersible chamber 1 and drain water into the water storage container 2, respectively, and can be controlled independently.

[0030] In addition, the interior of the diving chamber 1 may be equipped with a reinforcing structure (such as a watertight compartment) to enhance its pressure resistance.

[0031] The above-mentioned watertight compartment structure and connection method can be implemented using existing technology and are easy to implement. They are not within the protection scope of this application. Therefore, they at least have the beneficial effects brought about by the technical solutions of the above embodiments, and will not be described in detail here.

[0032] In addition, there are multiple support rods 4, which are hollow or solid rigid rods. Part of the pipeline of the water pump 5 system, pipeline system or cable can be installed inside the support rod 4. The pipeline system is divided into two groups, namely water inlet pipe 6 and water outlet pipe 7. One end of the pipeline system extends into the diving chamber 1, and the other end is outside the diving chamber 1. The water pump 5 is installed on the water inlet pipe 6 and the water outlet pipe 7.

[0033] The working principle of this invention is as follows: Descending process: The control system activates water pump 5 to inject water from storage container 2 into the diving chamber 1. As the water volume inside the chamber increases, the overall density increases. When the average density is greater than the density of the surrounding medium (water), the buoyancy is less than the total weight, and the load begins to sink smoothly, causing the car 3 to descend. The descent rate can be adjusted by controlling the water injection speed.

[0034] Ascent Process: The control system activates the drainage pump 5 to drain the water from the diving chamber 1 back into the storage container 2. As the water volume inside the chamber decreases, the overall density decreases. When the average density is less than the density of the surrounding medium, the buoyancy exceeds the total weight, and the load begins to rise, causing the car 3 to ascend. The ascent rate can be adjusted by controlling the drainage speed.

[0035] Stop and Hold: When the target floor is reached, water pump 5 stops operating, the water volume in the cabin is fixed, buoyancy and gravity reach equilibrium, and the car 3 remains stationary at that position. Since buoyancy is static, no continuous energy consumption is required to maintain the position.

[0036] This device eliminates the need for a top machine room and heavy counterweights, maximizing shaft space utilization and reducing structural requirements. The overall system structure is simple, with the main moving component being the water pump (5 pumps), resulting in fewer maintenance points, lower costs, and a longer lifespan.

[0037] It has strong scalability, and compared with existing traction elevators, it can lift to a greater height, and the size of the car and the load capacity can also be greatly improved.

[0038] This technical solution fundamentally eliminates traditional structures such as friction traction and counterweight balancing, thereby eliminating a series of problems such as vibration, imbalance, and wear caused by them.

[0039] It should be noted that the car 3 in this device can be a single-layer, double-layer, or multi-layer structure, and can be adapted and selected according to actual needs.

[0040] It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make several modifications and improvements without departing from the structure of the present invention, and these should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention. These modifications and improvements will not affect the effectiveness of the implementation of the present invention or the practicality of the patent.

Claims

1. A submersible lifting device based on the principle of buoyancy, characterized in that, include: The buoyancy drive unit includes a sealed submersible chamber (1) located in the lower part of the well or underground. The water supply system includes a water storage container (2), and a water pump (5) and piping system connecting the water storage container (2) to the interior of the diving chamber (1); The lifting guide mechanism includes vertically arranged guide rails and guide components; The car (3) is connected to the top of the diving chamber (1) via a rigid support rod (4) and is also connected to the guide component; The control system is used to control the water pump (5) system to adjust the amount of water in the diving chamber (1) and change the buoyancy to drive the car (3) to rise and fall.

2. The submersible lifting device based on the principle of buoyancy as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The depth of the water storage container (2) is not less than the maximum travel height of the car (3).

3. The submersible lifting device based on the principle of buoyancy as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The water pump (5) includes at least two independently controlled pump bodies, which are used to inject water into the submersible chamber (1) and drain water, respectively.

4. The submersible lifting device based on the principle of buoyancy as described in claim 3, characterized in that: The submersible body (1) is equipped with a watertight compartment to strengthen its structural strength.

5. The submersible lifting device based on the principle of buoyancy as described in claim 1, 2, or 4, characterized in that: The rigid support rod (4) is a hollow structure, and part of the water pipe or cable of the pipeline system is inserted inside it.

6. The submersible lifting device based on the principle of buoyancy as described in claim 5, characterized in that: The car (3) is a single-layer, double-layer, or multi-layer structure.

7. A method of using a lifting device, applied to the lifting device according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, include: Descent steps: Control the water pump (5) to inject water into the submersible chamber (1) to increase its total weight to be greater than the buoyancy force, and drive the car (3) to descend; Ascent Step: Control the water pump (5) to drain the water in the diving chamber (1), reduce its total weight to be less than the buoyancy force, and drive the car (3) to rise; Stopping procedure: Stop the water pump (5) to fix the water volume in the diving chamber (1), balance buoyancy and gravity, and make the car (3) stationary.

8. The method of use according to claim 7, characterized in that, The lifting speed of the car (3) is controlled by adjusting the flow rate or power of the water pump (5).

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