Pulley assembly including removable flanges

Abstract

This invention relates to a pulley assembly 10 for an elevator system 1, the pulley assembly 10 comprising: a pulley 2 for engaging with a traction medium 3; a bearing 4 for rotatably supporting the pulley 2; and a bracket 5 for connecting the pulley 2 and the bearing 4 to a support member 6 for the pulley assembly. The pulley 2 is provided with a flange 21 for preventing displacement of the traction medium 3 in the axial direction of the pulley 2. The flange 21 is detachably connected to an outer surface 20 of the pulley 2, such that the spacing s of the flanges 21 is adjustable axially. The invention also relates to an elevator system including the pulley assembly 10.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a pulley assembly according to the preamble of claim 1. More specifically, this invention relates to a pulley assembly for an elevator system, the pulley assembly comprising a pulley for engaging with a traction medium, a bearing for rotatably supporting the pulley, and a bracket for connecting the pulley and the bearing to the pulley assembly, the pulley being provided with a flange to prevent displacement of the traction medium in the axial direction of the pulley.

[0002] The present invention also relates to an elevator system according to the preamble of claim 8. Background Technology

[0003] The dimensions of the traction medium in an elevator are designed to withstand variations in system load, which can differ depending on the elevator's load capacity, passenger or cargo weight, building height, car structure, and other peripheral devices attached to the car and counterweight. Essentially, load variations can be compensated for by changing the quantity and / or width of the traction medium. However, this results in variations in the pulleys used to guide these traction media. Depending on the system and capacity applied, an increasing variety of pulley systems are required. A typical pulley assembly usually includes the following components: 1) a pulley shaft – responsible for bearing the load; 2) an outer ring – providing the contact surface with the traction medium; 3) a bearing – responsible for converting the linear motion of the traction medium into rotational motion; and 4) a locating ring – responsible for holding the bearing in the correct position. In these typical pulley assemblies, each pulley has its own bearing, allowing them to rotate independently. Some pulleys are also arranged on a common shaft, and they rotate synchronously.

[0004] Patent document US10773929B2 discloses a pulley for a belt elevator system, including a shaft defining a central axis about which the pulley is rotatable. An external member of the pulley is operably connected to the shaft via at least one bearing and is rotatable about the central axis. The external member interacts with a tension member of the elevator system. The external member is formed of a molded plastic material.

[0005] Patent document CN10371946B discloses an elevator guide wheel assembly. The guide wheel of this assembly is mounted on a bracket, and the traction belt is driven by the guide wheel, counterweight, and traction machine to pull the car. The key feature is that the main shaft of the guide wheel has two or more sets of independently rotating guide wheel units. Each guide wheel unit includes a guide wheel rim and a bearing. Specifically, the guide wheel bearing is disposed in a bearing cavity within the guide wheel rim, and is sleeved on the main shaft of the guide wheel. Both ends of the guide wheel bearing are secured by bearing spacers. On the main shaft of the guide wheel, one side of the traction belt is respectively attached to the outer diameter of the guide wheel rim side of the guide wheel unit. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this invention is to provide a pulley assembly with a modular structure for elevator systems, offering ease of maintenance and quick replacement when on-site service is required. Therefore, a particular objective is to significantly improve maintainability compared to existing technologies.

[0007] The object of the invention can be achieved substantially as disclosed in the independent claims and in other claims that describe different embodiments of the invention in more detail.

[0008] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a pulley assembly for an elevator system is provided, comprising: a pulley for engaging with a traction medium, a bearing for rotatably supporting the pulley, and a bracket for connecting the pulley and bearing to a support for the pulley assembly. The pulley is provided with a flange for preventing displacement of the traction medium in the axial direction of the pulley, wherein the flange is detachably connected to the outer surface of the pulley, such that the flange spacing is axially adjustable. Due to the variability in the width and number of components in different elevator systems, it is difficult to produce, install, and maintain the required number of pulley assemblies for different needs. This increases product complexity, and it would be advantageous if a design could cover most of the variable factors, such as the width and number of traction media, with minor modifications. Furthermore, bearings are components that wear over time and require periodic replacement. In most prior art solutions, the entire pulley assembly includes not only the bearing but also the shaft, outer ring, and inner ring, requiring complete replacement on-site during maintenance, which has a significant impact on spare parts service, logistics, and, most importantly, the environment. Ideally, when replacing old pulley assemblies, the bearings should be easily replaceable on-site, and if the pulley itself needs replacement, it should also be easily replaceable. This maintenance aspect is effectively addressed by the present invention; the flanges can be adjusted / replaced as needed, and the bearings are easy to replace due to the simple structure. The feature that the flange spacing can be adjusted axially due to the detachable connection of the flanges to the outer surface of the pulley enables modular design, allowing the same basic pulley to be used in a variety of different elevator systems. Because the flange spacing can be changed accordingly, the applicability of the pulley can be easily broadened in terms of load-bearing capacity, traction medium width, and the number of parallel traction media.

[0009] According to one embodiment, the pulley includes at least two flanges, the flange spacing of which can be configured according to the width of the traction medium. This is a basic configuration of the pulley, designed for use with a single traction medium. This provides the effect that the pulley width and the traction medium width are not fixedly correlated. According to another embodiment, the pulley includes multiple flanges to provide engagement surfaces for multiple parallel traction media. As explained above, the flange spacing can be adjusted for multiple parallel traction media. This significantly expands the modularity of the pulley.

[0010] According to one embodiment, the flange is formed by two semicircular rings bolted together. This feature enables a very practical design that is relatively simple to manufacture and easy to install. Each semicircular ring covers 180° of the outer circumference of the pulley, or actually slightly less than 180° for proper fastening, so they can be installed without heating, expanding, or stretching the flanges in any way. The flange can be positioned correctly and the bolts tightened. By tightening the bolts, the two semicircular rings are pressed against the outer surface of the pulley.

[0011] According to one embodiment, the outer surface of the pulley and the inner surface of the flange have matching grooves to prevent axial slippage of the flange on the outer surface of the pulley, thereby preventing changes in the flange spacing. The outer surface of the pulley is typically grooved to improve the traction between the traction medium and the pulley. If the same grooves are replicated on the inner surface of the flange, the two matching grooves form a form-locking pair that prevents any axial movement of the flange if it is tightened to near the nominal tightness of a bolt.

[0012] According to one embodiment, the pulley includes a shaft for connecting the pulley to a bearing. To facilitate bearing replacement and pulley disassembly, the pulley preferably has a shaft that mates with a shaft bore in the bearing, and the outer ring of the bearing is connected to a bracket. Therefore, the pulley assembly is provided with a bracket for connecting the pulley and bearing to a support for the pulley assembly.

[0013] According to one embodiment, the technical solution described above is a component of an elevator system, the elevator system including an elevator car for moving along a shaft, which is driven by a traction medium operatively connected to the elevator car and the counterweight; the traction medium interacts with one or more pulley assemblies to maintain proper tension of the traction medium; at least one of the pulley assemblies is provided with a drive mechanism for driving the elevator car; wherein at least one of the pulley assemblies is a pulley assembly according to the description above.

[0014] Therefore, the present invention is conceived as follows: a pulley responsible for engaging with the traction medium and bearing the load; two bearings responsible for providing rotational freedom and converting the linear motion of the traction medium into rotational motion; a bracket responsible for engaging the pulley and bearings with the car, counterweight, or hoistway structure and transmitting traction force to the car or counterweight frame (and vice versa); fasteners responsible for holding all components in the correct position; and a flange, consisting of rings, anti-rings, and fasteners, responsible for guiding the traction medium to prevent it from jumping off the pulley; furthermore, the flange is assembled according to the width of the traction medium.

[0015] The exemplary embodiments of the invention presented in this patent application should not be construed as limiting the applicability of the appended claims. The verb "comprising" is used in this patent application as an open-ended limitation and does not exclude the presence of additional unmentioned features. Unless otherwise expressly stated, the features recited in the dependent claims may be freely combined with each other. Novel features considered characteristic of the invention are specifically set forth in the appended claims. Attached Figure Description

[0016] In the following description, the invention will be illustrated with reference to the accompanying exemplary schematic drawings, in which: Figure 1 The elevator system is shown in general terms. Figure 2 A pulley assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Figure 3 An exploded view of a pulley assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Figure 4A A front view of a pulley assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Figure 4B A side view of a pulley assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Figure 5 A cross-sectional view of a pulley assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0017] Figure 1 An elevator system 1 is schematically shown, comprising an elevator car 100 for moving along a hoistway 8, the elevator car being driven by a traction medium 3 operably connected to the elevator car 100 and a counterweight 101, the traction medium 3 interacting with one or more pulley assemblies 10 to maintain proper tension of the traction medium 3, at least one of the pulley assemblies 10 being provided with a drive device 9 for operating the elevator car 100, and a support member 6 for connecting the pulley assembly 10 to a structure of the hoistway 8.

[0018] Figure 2 An embodiment of a pulley assembly 10 in an assembled state for use is schematically shown. The figure illustrates a pulley assembly 10 for an elevator system 1, which includes: a pulley 2 for engaging with a traction medium 3 (see figure 1). Figure 1 ), bearing 4 for rotating and supporting pulley 2, and support 6 for connecting pulley 2 and bearing 4 to pulley assembly (see Figure 1 The bracket 5 and pulley 2 are provided with flanges 21 to prevent the traction medium 3 (see) Figure 1 The flange 21 is displaced in the axial direction of the pulley 2. The flange 21 is detachably connected to the outer surface 20 of the pulley 2, so that the spacing s of the flange 21 can be adjusted axially.

[0019] Figure 3 It shows Figure 2 An exploded view of the pulley assembly. It can be noted that pulley 2 has an integral cylindrical shape and a specific grooved outer surface 20 for engaging with the traction medium 3 (see [link]). Figure 1 The grooved outer surface 20 is illustrated as being divided into two parts, and further divided into four sub-parts by flanges 21 detachably connected to the outer surface 20. The distance maintained between the flanges 21 is the flange spacing s. It can be noted that this pulley structure allows the flange spacing s to be easily adjusted axially. For example, in... Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown, the pulley assembly is configured for four parallel traction media, and the number of traction media can be easily reduced to one or two by simply removing one or two flanges 21 and adjusting the spacing s to match the width of the traction media.

[0020] also, Figure 3 It shows Figure 2 An embodiment of the flange 21 structure, shown here in exploded form, is formed by two semicircular rings 211 connected together by bolts 212. By tightening the bolts 212, the two semicircular rings 211 can be pressed against the outer surface 20 of the pulley 2. Figure 3 It can also be noted that the outer surface 20 of the pulley 2 and the inner surface 210 of the flange 21 have matching grooves to prevent the flange 21 from axially sliding on the outer surface 20 of the pulley, thereby preventing the spacing s of the flange 2 from changing unexpectedly.

[0021] Figure 3 Another embodiment is also shown, in which the pulley 2 includes a shaft 23 for connecting the pulley 2 to the bearing 3. Figure 3 As shown, to facilitate the replacement of bearing 5 and the installation of pulley 2, pulley 2 is provided with a shaft 23 that fits into the shaft hole of bearing 4, and the outer ring of bearing is connected to bracket 5. Due to this structure, conventional bearing puller tools can be used when maintenance is required. The bracket is also designed to allow the entire pulley assembly 10 to be easily removed from support 6 (…). Figure 3 Remove from the top (not shown in the image).

[0022] Figure 4A As shown Figure 2 and Figure 3 The front view of embodiment 10 of the pulley assembly has been presented. Figure 4B A side view is shown. In Figure 4, flange 21 is mounted such that the distance between the two flanges forms a gap s. Flange 21 has a certain height from the outer surface 20 of the pulley, so that the traction medium will not cross the flange during elevator operation. Such an event may cause elevator malfunction and should be prevented. Figure 4B A possible support design is described, which is convenient for maintenance operations, easy to disassemble and quickly reassemble back to its working position, and also easy to align, so that the traction medium can run smoothly on the pulley assembly 10.

[0023] Figure 5 An embodiment of the cross-section of pulley 2 and flange 21 is also shown, the flange being a semi-circular ring 211. This semi-circular ring has a grooved inner surface 210 that matches the grooved outer surface 20 of the pulley. The outer surface 20 of pulley 2 and the inner surface 210 of flange 21 have matching grooves to prevent axial slippage of flange 21 on the outer surface 20 of pulley. The flange semi-circular ring 211 is connected together by bolts 212.

[0024] Although the present invention has been described herein by way of example and in conjunction with embodiments now considered preferred, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the basic concept of the invention can be implemented in various ways as technology advances. Therefore, the invention and its embodiments are not limited to the examples and instances described above, but can be varied within the scope of the patent claims and their legal equivalents. Details mentioned above in conjunction with any embodiment may be used in conjunction with another embodiment where such combinations are technically feasible.

Claims

1. A pulley assembly 10 for an elevator system 1, the pulley assembly 10 comprising: A pulley 2 for engaging with a traction medium 3, a bearing 4 for rotatably supporting the pulley 2, and a bracket 5 for connecting the pulley 2 and the bearing 4 to a support 6 for the pulley assembly. The pulley 2 is provided with a flange 21 for preventing the traction medium 3 from shifting in the axial direction of the pulley 2. The flange 21 is detachably connected to the outer surface 20 of the pulley 2, such that the spacing s of the flanges 21 can be adjusted axially.

2. The pulley assembly 10 according to claim 1, wherein, The pulley 2 includes at least two flanges 21, and the spacing s of the flanges 21 can be configured according to the width of the traction medium 3.

3. The pulley assembly 10 according to claim 1, wherein, The pulley 2 includes multiple flanges 21 to provide a mating surface for multiple parallel traction media 3.

4. The pulley assembly 10 according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The flange 21 is formed by two semi-circular rings 211 connected together by bolts 212.

5. The pulley assembly 10 according to claim 4, wherein, By tightening the bolt 212, the two semicircular rings 211 can be pressed against the outer surface 20 of the pulley 2.

6. The pulley assembly 10 according to claim 4, wherein, The outer surface 20 of the pulley 2 and the inner surface 210 of the flange 21 have matching grooves to prevent the flange 21 from sliding axially on the outer surface 20 of the pulley, thereby preventing the spacing s of the flange 2 from changing.

7. The pulley assembly 10 according to claim 1, wherein, The pulley 2 includes a shaft 23 for connecting the pulley 2 to the bearing 3.

8. An elevator system 1, the elevator system comprising an elevator car 100 for movement along a shaft 8, the elevator car being driven by a traction medium 3 operably connected to the elevator car 100 and a counterweight 101, the traction medium 3 interacting with one or more pulley assemblies 10 to maintain proper tension of the traction medium 3, at least one of the pulley assemblies 10 being provided with a drive device 9 for operating the elevator car 100, wherein... At least one of the pulley assemblies 10 is the pulley assembly according to claim 1.

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