RAIL SYSTEM FOR AN ELEVATOR SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING SUCH A RAIL SYSTEM

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a rail system for an elevator installation and a method for producing such a rail system.

[0002] An elevator system may have vertically movable components, such as a car and a counterweight for the car. The vertically movable components may be guided by a rail system of the elevator system. The rail system prevents lateral movement of the vertically movable components. The vertically movable components may be moved by a drive device along vertical rails of the rail system.

[0003] The rails can, for example, run within a building's elevator shaft. The rails can be connected to the walls of the elevator shaft by anchoring devices in the rail system. These anchoring devices can be referred to as rail brackets. The anchoring devices can be arranged at regular intervals along the rail. By placing regular anchoring devices along the rail, a drilling jig can be used, for example, to ensure precise spacing.

[0004] JP 2013 151 336 A, JP S55 74980 A, EP 3 118151 A1, EP 2 516 311 A1 and JP 2021 147 118 A show arrangements of anchoring devices in the shaft.

[0005] The spacing between the anchoring devices is constant throughout the entire rail system. The spacing used is designed for maximum rail load.

[0006] There may be a need, among other things, for a rail system with improved properties, in particular, for example, improved material utilization.

[0007] Such a need can be met by a rail system for an elevator installation and a method for producing such a rail system according to the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments are defined in the dependent claims and described in the description.

[0008] The rail is not subjected to the same load everywhere, or to maximum loads everywhere. Therefore, a conventional rail system has too many anchoring devices at less stressed points. With the approach presented here, the gaps between the anchoring devices are adjusted to the actual load. This allows for fewer anchoring devices to be used. The approach presented here can reduce the material requirements for the rail system's anchoring devices by up to 25 percent.

[0009] According to one aspect of the invention, a rail system for an elevator installation is presented, wherein the rail system has at least one vertically oriented rail for guiding vertically movable components of the elevator installation, wherein the rail is anchored to at least one substantially vertically oriented wall using anchoring devices at different height positions and bridges gaps between adjacent anchoring devices, wherein the lengths of the gaps vary at least in a partial region of the rail system in a monotonically decreasing dependence on a local load on the rail.

[0010] According to a further aspect of the invention, a method for manufacturing a rail system for an elevator installation is presented, wherein the rail system comprises at least one vertically oriented rail for guiding vertically movable components of the elevator installation, wherein the rail is anchored to at least one substantially vertically oriented wall using anchoring devices at different height positions and bridges gaps between adjacent anchoring devices. The method comprises the steps: Calculating varying lengths of the gaps for at least a portion of the rail in monotonically decreasing dependence on a local load on the rail, arranging the anchoring devices with the calculated lengths of the gaps on the wall and connecting the rail to the anchoring devices in order to bridge the varying gaps.

[0011] An elevator system can be a passenger transport system. The elevator system can have at least one car that can be moved up and down in a vertical direction along a rail system of the elevator system. A weight of the car can be at least partially compensated by at least one counterweight. The counterweight can also be moved up and down along the rail system. The car and the counterweight can be connected to one another by support means, such as ropes or belts. The support means can be moved by a drive system of the elevator system to move the car upwards while the counterweight is moved downwards, and vice versa. The drive system can, for example, be arranged at an upper end of the rail system.

[0012] The rail system can have at least one vertical rail that extends continuously across the entire elevator system. The rail can be made of a metal material, for example. The rail can be assembled from individual sections. A pit area can be arranged at a lower end of the rail. In the pit area, the rail can be anchored in a foundation of the elevator system. During normal operation of the elevator system, the car can be moved within a travel area of ​​the rail located above the pit area. A buffer for the car can be arranged in the pit area. During a buffer travel, the car can drive onto the buffer in the pit area.

[0013] The rail system can, for example, be arranged within an elevator shaft of a building. The rail system can also be arranged on an exterior or interior wall of the building. The rail can be connected to the building or wall via essentially horizontally aligned anchoring devices of the rail system. An anchoring device can be referred to as a rail bracket. The anchoring devices can be screwed to the building or wall. An anchoring device can be used for one or more rails of the rail system.

[0014] To support the rail across its entire range of motion, the rail system features a variety of anchoring devices. The anchoring devices are arranged at different heights along the rail. Each pair of anchoring devices is spaced apart by a gap. The gap represents the vertical distance between adjacent anchoring devices.

[0015] The anchoring devices here have variable spacing. The spacing between pairs of anchoring devices that follow one another in the vertical direction can differ by more than 1%, preferably more than 2%, 5%, or even more than 10%. The lengths of the spacing can essentially depend on a local load on the rail. The lengths of the spacing can be calculated taking the local load into account. The load can be composed of various forces. The forces can act in the direction of the rail. Likewise, the forces can act transversely and / or obliquely to the rail. The load results from the sum of the forces.

[0016] The dependence of the length of the gaps on the local load is monotonically decreasing. Monotonically decreasing describes a property of the function that describes the dependence of the length of the gaps on the local load. The length of the gaps decreases monotonically with increasing loads. This means that the length of the gaps either decreases or at least remains the same with increasing loads. This applies in particular to the load caused by the dead weight of the rail arranged above.

[0017] The anchoring devices can be attached to the wall using a drilling robot. At a minimum, holes for attaching the anchoring devices can be drilled by the drilling robot. The drilling robot can easily create varying spacings because the drilling robot's drill head can be precisely controlled. The drilling robot can precisely drill a fully variable drilling plan with different spacings adapted to the local load.

[0018] The lengths of the gaps may be smaller at or near a lower end of the section than at or near an upper end of the section. The load may be greater at the lower end of the section than at the upper end. The lengths of the gaps may increase from bottom to top. This allows fewer anchoring devices to be used at the upper end than at the lower end. Using fewer anchoring devices at the upper end can save material.

[0019] Alternatively or additionally, anchoring devices adapted to the local load can be used. For example, the anchoring devices can be made smaller from bottom to top. The smaller anchoring devices at the top also allow for a reduction in material usage.

[0020] The lengths of the gaps can vary in steps. Several consecutive gaps can be the same across the sub-area, followed by a jump to a larger or smaller gap. The locally constant gaps can be adapted to an average local load in the area. The locally constant gaps can be easily drilled using a drilling template. A different drilling template guide can be used for each jump in the gap. Alternatively, different drilling templates can be used. The dependence of the length of the gaps on the local load is therefore gradually decreasing.

[0021] The pit area of ​​the rail system and the aforementioned sub-area of ​​the rail system together constitute more than half the length of the rail system and, in particular, essentially the entire length of the rail system.

[0022] The rail system therefore essentially consists of the pit area and the sub-area in which the length of the gaps varies. On the other hand, the travel area can also include other sub-areas. In these sub-areas, the load can be so small, for example, that the length of the gaps is limited to a maximum value by other conditions, such as the length of an individual section of rail. In this sub-area, the length of the gaps no longer necessarily decreases monotonically for increasing loads, but alternates back and forth between a larger and a smaller value, for example. This sub-area preferably makes up less than half of the entire rail system.

[0023] The lengths of the gaps may be smaller in the pit area than in the part of the rail system.

[0024] Additional anchoring devices can be arranged in the pit area. More anchoring devices can be arranged in the pit area than would be necessary due to the local load. The anchoring devices can have evenly spaced spaces in the pit area. In the pit area, the local load can be increased by rarely occurring lateral loads. The lateral loads can arise, for example, during a buffer run if the car is asymmetrically loaded during the buffer run. The asymmetric loading creates a torque when the car hits the buffer located centrally in the pit area. This torque acts as a lateral force on the rail and can be diverted into the building or wall by the additional anchoring devices. The additional anchoring devices can reliably prevent damage to the rail during a buffer run.

[0025] The lengths of the gaps in the aforementioned sub-area can be monotonically decreasing depending on a locally higher dead weight of the rail. The dead weight of the rail can be the main factor of the load. Lateral loads can be constant over the sub-area. The rail can slide axially through the anchoring devices. In particular, the rail can slide through the anchoring device if an axial force is greater than a holding force of the anchoring device. The holding force can be smaller than a locally higher dead weight of the rail. For example, the rail can weigh 22 kilograms per meter. The rail can slip through the anchoring device at 300 to 600 Newtons, which corresponds to a weight force of 30 to 60 kilograms.The anchoring device can therefore guide the rail in a horizontal or lateral direction and allow the rail to move relative to the anchoring device in a vertical or axial direction. Due to this axial mobility, the rail locally supports its own weight located above, which increases continuously from top to bottom. At the lower end of the rail, this weight can be transferred into the foundation. The vertical mobility can, for example, compensate for differences in the thermal expansion of the rail and the building and / or settlement of the building. The local dead weight located above must not be greater than a buckling load. The buckling load can be the load at which the rail buckles sideways in the space between the rails. The buckling load can therefore include the force or load that acts in the direction of the rail.The buckling load depends on the free length of the rail between two anchoring devices. The free length corresponds to the gap. The buckling load can also depend on the profile of the rail. The profile can, for example, have a preferred buckling direction. In the preferred buckling direction, the rail exhibits a minimum buckling load. According to Euler's formula for the buckling load, the permissible buckling load is proportional to the inverse of the square of the free length of the rail between two anchoring devices.

[0026] The lengths of the gaps can be inversely proportional to the square root of the dead weight located locally above. The greater the dead weight located above, the smaller the lengths of the gaps can be. Due to an inversely proportional relationship to the square root of the dead weight located locally above, no gap is the same in that section of the rail, since the dead weight located above depends on the height of the respective gap.

[0027] It should be noted that some of the possible features and advantages of the invention are described herein with reference to different embodiments of methods, on the one hand, and devices, on the other. A person skilled in the art will recognize that, within the scope of the appended claims, the features can be appropriately combined, adapted, or exchanged to achieve further embodiments of the invention.

[0028] Embodiments of the invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein neither the drawings nor the description are to be interpreted as limiting the invention.

[0029] Fig. 1 shows a representation of a rail system according to an exemplary embodiment. The figure is merely schematic and not to scale. The same reference numerals denote the same or equivalent features.

[0030] Fig. 1 shows a representation of a rail system 100 according to an embodiment. The rail system 100 has at least one vertically oriented rail 102 and a plurality of anchoring devices 104. The anchoring devices 104 connect the rail 102 to at least one wall 106 of a building. The anchoring devices 104 extend substantially horizontally between the rail 102 and the wall 106.

[0031] In a partial area 108 of the rail system 100, the anchoring devices 104 are arranged with load-dependent gaps 110. The gaps 110 depend on a local load 112 of the rail 102. The rail 102 freely bridges the gaps 110.

[0032] Load 112 is a total force composed of different forces. The load consists of horizontal forces and vertical forces.

[0033] The load 112 increases from top to bottom due to the dead weight of the rail 102. A local weight force of the rail 102 is summed from all parts of the rail 102 arranged above. Therefore, the gaps 110 in the partial area 108 become smaller from top to bottom.

[0034] In one embodiment, the gaps 110 in a pit area 114 of the rail system 100 are smaller than in the partial area 108. In the pit area 114, the gaps 110 are constant, in contrast to the partial area 108. In the pit area, the gaps 110 do not change depending on the local load 112. In the pit area 114, more anchoring devices 104 are arranged than would be required due to the local load 112.

[0035] In one embodiment, the anchoring devices 104 are clamped to the rail 102 using clips 116. If a force acting in the direction of the rail 102 is greater than a frictional force of the clip 116, the rail 102 slides axially through the clip 116. This prevents settlement movements of the wall 106 from being transferred to the rail 102. Likewise, the rail 102 can shrink or lengthen during temperature fluctuations without subjecting the anchoring devices 104 to a shear force greater than the frictional force. The clips 116 allow the rail 102 to float. The dead weight of the rail 102 rests on a foundation 118 of the rail system 100.

[0036] In one embodiment, the anchoring devices 104 are mounted using a robot 120. The gaps 110 are calculated depending on the expected load 110, and the robot 120 drills fasteners for the anchoring devices 104 into the wall 106 at appropriate intervals. The anchoring devices 104 are then attached, aligned, and the rail 102 is connected to the anchoring devices 104.

[0037] In other words, the approach presented here adjusts the spacing of the brackets for different loads. For higher loads on the brackets, more brackets are placed, thus at closer spacing.

[0038] Until now, the brackets have been installed at the same spacing throughout the elevator. Except in the pit area, where more brackets are often installed, as extremely large forces are introduced into the rail during a buffer run.

[0039] In the approach presented here, the distance between brackets increases continuously from bottom to top, as the compressive load, and thus the risk of buckling, decreases with increasing height. A robot can adhere to a drilling plan very precisely. Manual drilling would tend to consistently maintain the same distance.

[0040] Unequal guide rail mounting heights (HF spacing) are presented. Instead of having the same vertical spacing between two brackets in a shaft along the entire length of the rail, a smaller vertical spacing is used in the lower part of the shaft and a higher vertical spacing is used in the upper part of the shaft. It is possible to have three, four, or more different vertical spacings.

[0041] This is useful because the buckling load often determines the minimum vertical distance and / or the size of the guide rail. This buckling is particularly critical in the lower part of the shaft, as the load acting on the rails increases towards the shaft pit due to their own weight.

[0042] A larger gap at the top means fewer brackets, clips and dividers are required, resulting in lower costs.

[0043] Finally, it should be noted that terms such as "having," "comprising," etc., 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 may also be used in combination with other features or steps of other embodiments described above, within the scope of the appended claims. Reference signs in the claims are not to be considered as limitations.

Claims

1. A rail system (100) for an elevator system, wherein the rail system (100) has at least one vertically aligned rail (102) for guiding vertically movable components of the elevator system, wherein the rail (102) is anchored at different height positions on at least one substantially vertically aligned wall (106) using anchoring devices (104) and bridges interspaces (110) between adjacent anchoring devices (104), characterized in that the lengths of the interspaces (110) vary in a monotonically decreasing manner depending on a local load (112) on the rail (102) at least in a section (108) of the rail system (100), characterized in that a pit region (114) of the rail system (100) and the mentioned section (108) of the rail system (100) jointly form more than half the length of the rail system (100) and in particular substantially form the entire length of the rail system (100).

2. The rail system (100) according to claim 1, wherein the lengths of the interspaces (110) in the pit region (114) of the rail system (100) are smaller than in the section (108) of the rail system (100).

3. The rail system (100) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the lengths of the interspaces (110) are monotonically decreasing in the mentioned section (108) depending on a dead weight of the rail (102) arranged locally above.

4. The rail system (100) according to claim 3, wherein the lengths of the interspaces (110) are inversely proportional to the root of the dead weight arranged locally above.

5. The rail system (100) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the lengths of the interspaces (110) are smaller at a lower end of the section (108) than at an upper end of the section (108).

6. The rail system (100) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the lengths of the interspaces (110) vary in steps.

7. A method for producing a rail system (100) for an elevator system, wherein the rail system (100) has at least one vertically aligned rail (102) for guiding vertically movable components of the elevator system, wherein the rail (102) is anchored at different height positions on at least one substantially vertically aligned wall (106) using anchoring devices (104) and bridges interspaces (110) between adjacent anchoring devices (104), comprising the steps of: - calculating varying lengths of the interspaces (110) for at least one section (108) of the rail (108) decreasing monotonically depending on a local load (112) on the rail, - arranging the anchoring devices (104) with the calculated lengths of the interspaces (110) on the wall (106), and - connecting the rail (102) to the anchoring devices (104) in order to bridge the varying interspaces (110), characterized in that the length of the interspaces (110) is calculated inversely proportionally to the root of the dead weight arranged locally above of the rail.

8. The method according to claim 7 or 8, further comprising the step of: - arranging the anchoring devices (104) with the aid of a robot (120) on the wall (106).