Variable driver system

Abstract

The present invention relates to a variable spreader driver (10) for jointly opening a lift car door and a lift shaft door, which spreader driver can be mounted on the lift car door, comprising a pair of first and second gripping elements (16, 18) which extend essentially in parallel and vertically and which can be moved between an opened position, in which they are at a first horizontal distance from one another, and a closed position, in which they are at a second horizontal distance from one another, wherein the first horizontal distance is larger than the second horizontal distance; and an activation device (12) which is configured to move the first and the second engagement element (16, 18) between the opened and the closed position while maintaining their essential vertical extent. The spreader driver according to the invention also comprises a mounting plate (24) which is configured to be moved together with the second engagement element (18) and to bear the latter securely, for which purpose it comprises a multiplicity of circular drilled holes (24b) in a predefined arrangement; and the second engagement element (18) comprises a multiplicity of groups of circular drilled holes (18b) which are each aligned with one another according to the predefined arrangement, wherein according to the multiplicity of groups of circular drilled holes (18b) the second engagement element (18) can be mounted with different defined orientations on the mounting plate (24) by means of mounting elements (28).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a variable spreader driver for the simultaneous opening of an elevator car door and an elevator shaft door, which can be mounted on the elevator car door, comprising a pair of a first and a second engagement element, which extend substantially parallel and vertically and which are displaceable between an open position, in which they have a first horizontal distance from each other, and a closed position, in which they have a second horizontal distance from each other, wherein the first horizontal distance is greater than the second horizontal distance, and an actuating device, which is configured to displace the first and the second engagement element between the open and the closed position while maintaining their substantially vertical extension.

[0002] According to the prior art, such spreading mechanisms are used to transition between a first configuration, in which the engagement elements, also referred to as "blades," are brought close together so that the elevator car can move within the elevator shaft, and a second configuration. In this second configuration, in a state where the elevator car is stationary relative to an elevator shaft door, the blades are moved apart in the plane parallel to the planes of the two doors. They then interact with counter-drives provided on the elevator shaft door, thus allowing the elevator car door and the elevator shaft door to open and close simultaneously.In this context, the closed position mentioned above corresponds to the state in which the elevator car can be moved vertically in the elevator shaft, while the open position corresponds to the state in which the elevator car door and the elevator shaft door can be opened and closed together, so that the elevator car must be vertically immobile opposite the elevator shaft door.

[0003] Due to the large number of elevator systems available on the market, which can differ in many parameters, such as whether they have one-sided or center-opening doors, as well as in the numerous possible external dimensions of the doors, a large number of expansion joints of the aforementioned type are also available and in use in existing elevators. These are, to a certain extent, wear parts that need to be replaced from time to time.Thus, until now, a corresponding spreader drive had to be kept on hand as a spare part for every conceivable type of elevator door, which on the one hand meant a great deal of effort in the production of such spreader drives and thus increased costs, while on the other hand, due to the lack of compatibility between the spreader drives of different elevator manufacturers, it was always necessary to resort to the spare parts of the respective manufacturer.

[0004] To overcome these disadvantages, a generic expanding driver was proposed, for example, in EP 2 944 597 A2. In this design, one of the engagement elements is provided with a series of elongated holes, allowing the relative position of the two engagement elements to be adjusted in their open and closed positions. This expanding driver was thus able to replace a number of existing types of expanding drivers. However, this increased flexibility came at the cost of requiring that the assembly of the expanding driver from EP 2 944 597 A2 always be carried out by a skilled person. This was because the relative positioning of the two engagement elements to each other had to be extremely precise using the elongated holes to ensure the proper operation of the device and to prevent potential damage to the expanding driver or even to one of the doors during operation.This elaborate assembly involved multiple measurements of the aforementioned distances as well as a complex final inspection, which was not only demanding for the mechanic involved, but also time-consuming in any case.

[0005] The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a generic variable spreader driver which solves the above-mentioned problems of the prior art and, on the one hand, has great flexibility with regard to its application as a replacement for different types of existing spreader drivers and, on the other hand, enables significantly simplified assembly compared to known spreader drivers with elongated holes.

[0006] The variable spreader according to the invention for the simultaneous opening of an elevator car door and an elevator shaft door comprises a mounting plate which is designed to be movable together with the second engagement element and to firmly support it, for which purpose it comprises a plurality of circular bores in a predefined arrangement, wherein the second engagement element also comprises a plurality of groups of circular bores which are each aligned to each other according to the predefined arrangement, wherein the second engagement element can be mounted on the mounting plate by means of mounting elements according to the plurality of groups of circular bores in different defined orientations.

[0007] By providing multiple groups of circular bores on the second engagement element and enabling its mounting by means of a mounting plate, a fixed number of different defined orientations of the second engagement element relative to the mounting plate and thus also relative to the first engagement element can be created, allowing the second engagement element to be mounted with the aid of the circular bores according to the expanding driver to be replaced and its dimensions, without the need for fine adjustment, as would be the case if elongated holes were provided for this purpose.

[0008] Thus, the assembly process of the expanding drive according to the invention is simplified in such a way that it is only necessary to check which of the groups of circular bores on the second engagement element corresponds to the expanding drive to be replaced or to the predetermined relative alignment between the first and second engagement elements in the open and closed positions, whereupon the mounting elements are to be installed in such a way that they attach the second engagement element according to the known or determined alignment. It is understood that the mounting elements must be suitable for allowing a fixed and precise mounting of the second engagement element on the mounting plate with minimal play and must therefore be matched to the respective circular bores.

[0009] Although the majority of the circular bores in the mounting plate can, in principle, be arranged arbitrarily, it is advantageous for space reasons to arrange them all on a vertical line. Here and in the following, the terms "vertical" and "horizontal" are to be understood in relation to a state in which the expanding actuator according to the invention is mounted on an elevator car door in its intended manner.

[0010] Since the orientation of the circular bores in the mounting plate ultimately determines how the corresponding complementary circular bores in the individual groups are to be arranged on the second engagement element, the circular bores of the individual groups on the second engagement element can also be arranged in a vertical line when mounted. As a rule, two circular bores in the mounting plate will be sufficient to ensure secure attachment of the second engagement element in a rotationally resistant manner; however, a larger number of mounting bores could, of course, be provided if the geometry of the variable spreader according to the invention or other specifications, for example in the design of the elevator car door and / or the elevator shaft door, so require.

[0011] In some embodiments of the present invention, the plurality of circular bores in the mounting plate can also comprise several combinations of circular bores in the predefined arrangement. In this way, several possible mounting positions of the second engagement element on the mounting plate are created, thereby providing a further degree of freedom in the final positioning of the second engagement element. In particular, the mounting plate can comprise several parallel, vertically oriented rows of at least three circular bores, which, assuming that the second engagement element is attached at two points, allow for variable positioning of the same in both the vertical and horizontal directions.

[0012] To reduce the manufacturing effort of the second engagement element while maximizing, for example, the flexibility of its arrangement relative to the mounting plate, at least one of the circular bores in the second engagement element can belong to two of the groups of circular bores. Assuming, purely as an example, that the mounting plate actually comprises only two circular bores, a single circular bore on the second engagement element can be aligned once with one and once with the other of the circular bores on the mounting plate.In this way, a reduced number of circular holes in the second engagement element can achieve an increased number of relative alignments between the second engagement element and the mounting plate, and thus between the first and second engagement elements. For example, multiple alignments in the vertical direction can be achieved if the multiple circular holes in the mounting plate are arranged vertically one above the other, thus forming multiple groups of pairs.

[0013] Although the number of groups of circular bores in the second engagement element is not initially predetermined, it is nevertheless advantageous if it is at least four or preferably even at least six, since each group of circular bores can, in principle, correspond to a spreading driver from the prior art, which can then be replaced by the spreading driver according to the invention. On the other hand, the possible number of groups of circular bores is naturally not unlimited, since the external dimensions of the second engagement element impose limitations and the structural stability of the second engagement element must not be weakened by an excessive number of bores.

[0014] According to the invention, the variable spreader drive according to the invention further comprises a further mounting plate which is designed to firmly support the first engagement element and for this purpose comprises a plurality of circular bores in a predefined arrangement, wherein the first engagement element then comprises a plurality of groups of circular bores which are each aligned to each other according to the predefined arrangement, wherein the first engagement element can be mounted on a further mounting plate by means of mounting elements according to the plurality of groups of circular bores in different defined orientations.

[0015] This structural measure not only enables the relative positioning of the second engagement element relative to the first engagement element by mounting the second engagement element in different positions, but also allows the first engagement element to be mounted in different positions or orientations, which can significantly increase the flexibility of the variable spreader according to the invention.

[0016] The majority of circular holes in the secondary mounting plate can also be arranged along a vertical line, allowing both the secondary mounting plate and the first engagement element to be relatively narrow in the horizontal direction. In such an embodiment, the horizontal distance between the two engagement elements is then adjusted solely via different groups of circular holes on the second engagement element, while the first engagement element is initially fixed to a single orientation in the horizontal direction. Alternatively, analogous to the previously discussed embodiment of the mounting plate, several parallel, vertically oriented rows of circular holes could be provided on the secondary mounting plate to allow variable positioning of the first engagement element in both the vertical and horizontal directions.

[0017] To further increase the flexibility of the variable spreader according to the invention with regard to the alignment of the first and second engagement elements relative to each other, the mounting plate and / or the additional mounting plate can also be attached in at least two positions. This creates a further degree of freedom by which the final position of the first and second engagement elements relative to each other can be determined, since their attachment points on the respective mounting plate can already be arranged variably, as the mounting plate itself can be provided in different positions.

[0018] In a particularly simple embodiment of the variable spreader according to the invention, the mounting elements can be formed by countersunk screws and, optionally, locknuts. Of course, other mounting elements are also conceivable; for example, connecting pins could be provided, or the countersunk screws could interact with internal threads in certain of the circular bores without the need for locknuts.

[0019] Although the variable spreader according to the invention is already the subject of the present invention, protection is nevertheless also sought for an elevator car door which includes such a spreader and a drive device for driving the actuating device.

[0020] According to a further aspect, the present invention relates to a method for replacing a spreader driver for the simultaneous opening of an elevator car door and an elevator shaft door on an elevator car door with a variable spreader driver according to the invention, which comprises the following steps: a) With the expanding driver to be replaced mounted, measure the following values: height of the respective center positions of the first and second engagement elements in the open state, distance between the engagement elements in the open and closed states, and distance of the closing edge to a predetermined point on the second engagement element; b) disassemble the expanding driver to be replaced; c) depending on the values ​​determined in step a): select one of the groups of circular holes in the second engagement element; d) align the circular holes of the selected group with circular holes in the mounting plate; and e) mount the second engagement element by attaching the mounting elements in the aligned circular holes.

[0021] This method for replacing an existing spreader driver on an elevator car door, which is significantly simplified compared to the prior art, is made possible by the advantageous design of the variable spreader driver according to the invention discussed above, and it is shown that the method can also be carried out by persons who are significantly less well trained than is the case with spreader drivers whose relative alignment of the first and second engagement elements has to be adjusted by means of elongated holes.

[0022] Furthermore, the inventive method comprises the following steps: f) depending on the values ​​determined in step a): selecting one of the groups of circular holes on the first engagement element, g) aligning the circular holes of the selected group with the circular holes of the further mounting plate, and h) mounting the first engagement element by placing the mounting elements in the aligned circular holes.

[0023] These steps f) - h) can be carried out before, after or in parallel to steps c) - e) of the method according to the invention, depending on the design type of the existing spreader and possibly depending on further boundary conditions.

[0024] Finally, in the case that the mounting plate and / or the further mounting plate can be attached at at least two positions, the method according to the invention can further comprise the following step: i) depending on the values ​​determined in step a): attaching the mounting plate and / or the further mounting plate at one of the at least two positions.

[0025] Since the corresponding mounting plate must of course be mounted in front of its associated engagement element, this step i) must be carried out before step c) and / or before step f).

[0026] Further features and advantages of the present invention will become clear from the following description of an embodiment when viewed together with the accompanying figures. These show in detail: Figure 1 shows an exploded view of a variable spreader according to the invention; and Figure 2 shows the spreader made of Figure 1in assembled state.

[0027] In Figure 1 An exploded view of a variable spreader driver according to the invention is shown and generally designated by reference numeral 10. The spreader driver 10 comprises an actuating device 12, which in turn comprises two pivotable arms 14a and 14b, by means of which the relative displacement of the two engagement elements (blades) 16 and 18 can be effected. The actuating device 12 itself can be attached to an elevator car door (not shown) by means of two angle brackets 20a and 20b, to which it is in turn fastened by means of countersunk screws 21a and lock nuts 21b.

[0028] The engagement elements 16 and 18 each have engagement sections 16a and 18a which, in the mounted state of the spreader driver 10, extend into the area of ​​counter-engagement elements on an elevator shaft door (also not shown) and can engage with them to enable the elevator car door and the elevator shaft door to open and close together.

[0029] The two engagement elements 16 and 18 are not directly connected to the two arms 14a and 14b, but a mounting plate 22 or 24 is provided for each, which in turn is connected to the two arms 14a and 14b and simultaneously has mounting points for each of the engagement elements 16 and 18, so that when the arms 14a and 14b are pivoted, the mounting plates 22 and 24 move horizontally away from each other or towards each other in the manner of a parallelogram, while maintaining their orientation in the vertical direction, which of course applies equally to the engagement elements 16 and 18 which are fixedly attached to the respective mounting plate 22 or 24.

[0030] To attach the mounting plates 22 and 24 to the two arms 14a and 14b, each plate includes two circular bores 22a and 24a, respectively, into which countersunk screws 26 can be inserted and then screwed into corresponding internal threads on the arms 14a and 14b. Although in the Figure 1 In the embodiment shown, only two circular bores 22a and 24a are provided for fastening the mounting plates 22 and 24 to the arms 14a and 14b, in a variant of the spreading drive shown according to the invention several groups of such circular bores could also be provided on one or both of the mounting plates 22 and 24 in order to achieve a different relative positioning of the plates to each other.

[0031] Similarly, the groups of circular bores 16b and 18b on the two engagement elements 16 and 18, in conjunction with corresponding circular bores 22b and 24b in the mounting plates 22 and 24, each with an internal thread, allow the engagement elements 16 and 18 to be attached in numerous different orientations relative to each other by means of further countersunk screws 28. In particular, the first engagement element 16 has a vertical row of circular bores 16b, so that this engagement element 16 can be arranged in several different vertical positions, while the second engagement element 18, by means of its numerous groups of circular bores 18b aligned with each other according to the circular bores 24b in the mounting plate, can allow variable positioning in both vertical and horizontal directions.In this context, it should also be noted that the mounting plate 24 also includes a plurality of circular bores 24b, each of which can be used to attach the engagement element 18 in different vertical and horizontal positions, thus providing a further degree of freedom for the final alignment of the two engagement elements 16 and 18 in their mounted state.

[0032] This assembled state is now in Figure 2 shown, with the two engagement elements 16 and 18 at maximum horizontal distance from each other, i.e., in their open position. For this purpose, the two arms 14a and 14b are removed from the Figure 1 The orientation shown, which was tilted relative to the horizontal, has been tilted into a strictly horizontal orientation.

[0033] In the Figure 2Furthermore, those circular bores 16b and 18b of the first and second engagement elements 16 and 18, respectively, which are actually used to fasten the same to the corresponding mounting plate 22 or 24 by means of a countersunk screw 28, are designated 16B and 18B, respectively. Figure 2It is evident that the chosen relative arrangement of the two engagement elements 16 and 18 is only one of numerous possibilities, especially when one considers that providing several combinations of circular bores on the mounting plate 24 creates yet another degree of freedom. Thus, the illustrated expanding driver according to the invention, due to its enormous geometric flexibility, can serve as a replacement for a multitude of expanding drivers available on the market, without the need for fine-tuning the positions of the engagement elements 16 and 18 by means of elongated holes. Rather, it is only necessary to identify the correct combinations of circular bores, which can be achieved by knowing the type of expanding driver to be replaced and looking it up in a table, or by simply measuring a few parameters of the expanding driver to be replaced.

Claims

1. Variable expanding driver (10) for the simultaneous opening of a lift cabin door and a lift shaft door, which can be mounted on the lift cabin door, comprising: - a pair of a first and a second engagement element (16, 18), which extend substantially parallel and vertically and which are displaceable between an open position, in which they have a first horizontal distance from each other, and a closed position, in which they have a second horizontal distance from each other; wherein the first horizontal distance is greater than the second horizontal distance; and - an actuating device (12), which is designed to displace the first and the second engagement element (16, 18) between the open and the closed positions while maintaining their substantially vertical extension; wherein the actuating device (12) comprises a mounting plate (24) which is designed to be displaceable together with the second engagement element (18) and to support it securely, for which purpose it comprises a plurality of circular bores (24b) in a predefined arrangement; and the second engagement element (18) comprises a plurality of groups of circular bores (18b) which are mutually aligned with one other according to the predefined arrangement, wherein the second engagement element (18) can be mounted on the mounting plate (24) in different defined alignments by means of mounting elements (28) according to the plurality of groups of circular bores (18b), characterised in that it further comprises a further mounting plate (22), which is designed to support the first engagement element (16) securely and for this purpose comprises a plurality of circular bores (22b) in a predefined arrangement; and the first engagement element (16) comprises a plurality of groups of circular bores (16b), which are mutually aligned with one another according to the predefined arrangement; wherein the first engagement element (16) can be mounted in different defined alignments on the further mounting plate (22) by means of mounting elements (28) according to the plurality of groups of circular bores (16b).

2. Variable expanding driver (10) according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of circular bores (24b) in the mounting plate (24) are all arranged on a vertically extending line.

3. Variable expanding driver (10) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the plurality of circular bores (24b) in the mounting plate (24) comprises two circular bores.

4. Variable expanding driver (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the plurality of circular bores (24b) in the mounting plate (24) comprises several combinations of circular bores (24b) in the predefined arrangement.

5. Variable expanding driver (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one of the circular bores (24b) in the second engagement element (24) belongs to two of the groups of circular bores (24b).

6. Variable expanding driver (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second engagement element (24) comprises at least four, preferably at least six, groups of circular bores (24b).

7. Variable expanding driver (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the plurality of circular bores (22b) in the further mounting plate (22) are all arranged on a vertically extending line.

8. Variable expanding driver (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the mounting plate (24) and / or the further mounting plate (22) can be installed at at least two positions.

9. Variable expanding driver (10) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the mounting elements are formed by countersunk screws (28) and optionally locknuts.

10. Lift cabin door, comprising a variable expanding driver (10) according to any of the preceding claims and a drive device designed to drive the actuating device (12).

11. Method for replacing an expanding driver for the simultaneous opening of a lift cabin door and a lift shaft door on a lift cabin door with a variable expanding driver (10) according to any of claims 1 to 9, comprising the following steps: (a) in the modified state of the expanding driver to be replaced, measuring the following values: ∘ height of the respective centre positions of the first and second engagement elements in the open state, ∘ distance between the engagement elements in the open and closed states, and ∘ distance of the closing edge to a predetermined point on the second engagement element; (b) dismantle the expanding driver to be replaced; (c) depending on the values determined in step (a): select one of the groups of circular bores (18b) on the second engagement element (18); (d) align the circular bores (18b) of the selected group with the circular bores (24b) of the mounting plate (24); and (e) mount the second engagement element (18) by installing the mounting elements (28) in the aligned circular bores (18b, 24b), (f) depending on the values determined in step (a): select one of the groups of circular bores (16b) on the first engagement element (16); (g) align the circular bores (16b) of the selected group with the circular bores (22b) of the further mounting plate (22); and (h) mount the first engagement element (16) by installing the mounting elements (28) in the aligned circular recesses (16b, 22b), whereby steps (f)-(h) can be carried out either after or in parallel with the steps (c) - (e).

12. Method of claim 11 comprising the step: (i) depending on the values determined in step (a): install the mounting plate (22) and / or the further mounting plate (24) at one of the at least two positions, wherein step (i) is performed before step (c) and / or before step (f).

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