Platform for an elevator system for a building which is under construction

Abstract

The invention relates to a platform (6, 7) for an elevator system (1) for a building (10) which is under construction and which comprises an elevator shaft (2) that becomes taller as the building height increases in the course of the building phase of the building. The platform has a pneumatically activatable seal (11) for sealing a gap between the platform (6, 7) and the elevator shaft (2), and the seal (11) is designed as a circumferential seal which is attached to the platform (6, 7). A compressed air source (12) in the form of a compressor is arranged on the platform (6, 7) in order to operate the pneumatically activatable seal.

Description

[0001] Platform for an elevator system for a building under construction

[0002] The invention relates to a platform for an elevator system with an elevator shaft that increases in height during the construction phase of the building, and to such an elevator system. This elevator system can be used in particular on construction sites for high-rise buildings.

[0003] During the construction of a building, the lower floors constructed first may already be so finished that they are already habitable or usable for other purposes. For this purpose, the elevator system comprises an elevator car that can be used to access the floors already used as residential or commercial space during the building's construction phase. This so-called construction phase elevator with this elevator car grows with the building to a certain extent, i.e. the usable lifting height of the construction elevator increases with the increasing height of the building or the elevator shaft. This means that construction workers and building materials or, if applicable, users of apartments or commercial premises already occupied before the building is completed can be transported in the elevator car during the building's construction period. Such an elevator system is known from US 2016 / 0152442 A1.The elevator system has a machine platform that can be moved along the elevator shaft and from which the elevator car is suspended via support means arranged in the elevator shaft. The machine platform is raised on a rotating basis to increase the usable lifting height of the elevator car in the elevator shaft. To raise the machine platform, a platform that can be moved along the elevator shaft is provided to form a support structure that can be supported on the wall of the elevator shaft. This support structure, arranged above the machine platform, is raised by a first lifting device mounted in the upper area of ​​the elevator shaft to a height at which the platform supported by this support structure can be raised a certain distance. A second lifting device, arranged on the aforementioned support structure, is used to raise the machine platform.

[0004] With the state of the art outlined above, the elevator car from the construction phase can continue to be used for normal use after the building has been completed. However, concepts are also known in which the elevator car from the construction phase is replaced by a new elevator car after the building has been completed. In such a case, the construction phase elevator car can be designed as a self-propelled elevator car. Such a self-propelled elevator car, which is used in an elevator system for a building under construction with an elevator shaft that becomes higher as the building height increases during the construction phase, is known, for example, from WO 2019 / 238530 A1. Here, too, various platforms are used. One problem with elevator systems with increasingly higher elevator shafts is that the construction phase elevators can be damaged by falling objects during the construction phase of the building.People inside the elevator shaft, such as maintenance personnel on the elevator car, can also be injured by falling objects. People who are, for example, on an assembly platform from which the guide rails for guiding the elevator car are mounted are also at risk. Furthermore, unwanted contamination from concrete can occur, for example, when climbing formwork is used. Elevator shafts in buildings can be constructed using such climbing formwork. Climbing formwork is a discontinuous formwork system and is used for the construction of tower-like structures. They can be used to create concrete sections for the elevator shaft floor by floor.

[0005] It is an object of the present invention to overcome the disadvantages of the known technology and, in particular, to provide a platform for an elevator system of the type mentioned above, which reliably protects the shaft space below the platform from falling parts and dirt and which is easy to operate. Furthermore, the elevator system equipped with such a platform should be able to be adapted to the increasing height of the building in a simple and efficient manner.

[0006] According to the invention, these and other objects are achieved with a platform having the features of claim 1. A number of advantages can be achieved by the platform comprising a pneumatically activated seal for sealing or closing a gap between the platform and the elevator shaft, which seal is designed as a circumferential seal attached to the platform. The aforementioned gap can be reliably sealed. The seal can be precisely controlled thanks to its pneumatic mode of action. If necessary, the sealing effect can be easily created by appropriate control and, if necessary, canceled for the opposite case (returning to a rest position). The platform, which can be moved vertically with increasing building height, can, for example, comprise an O-ring seal, wherein the volume of the O-ring seal is variable depending on the pressure applied to a cavity of the seal. However, other sealing variants are also conceivable.For example, the seal could also be designed as a pneumatic bellows. The circumferential seal forms a sealing arrangement that is preferably closed or endless when viewed from above. The pneumatically activated seal can be used in combination with various platforms, which are typically used in the elevator system mentioned above, with an elevator shaft that increases in height during the construction phase of the building. It is also conceivable that platforms of such elevator systems could be retrofitted.

[0007] In this document, the term "elevator shaft" is understood to mean a space in a building under construction, the height of which increases in line with the progress of construction, wherein the space is dimensioned and designed such that at least one elevator car of an elevator, usually one elevator car and one counterweight of each elevator, can move upwards and downwards along vertical travel paths. Such an elevator shaft can be a single shaft enclosed by shaft walls. However, the elevator shaft can also be part of a contiguous space, in which part the travel paths of the elevator car and, if applicable, the counterweight of one of the at least two elevators arranged parallel to each other are arranged. There is no shaft wall between the travel paths of adjacent elevators, but there are usually steel girders for fastening elevator components.

[0008] The pneumatically activated seal can be designed such that it can be moved between a rest position, in which the seal is spaced from the elevator shaft or the adjacent shaft wall, thus enabling trouble-free vertical movement of the platform, and an active position, in which the seal is enlarged in volume relative to the rest position such that the seal contacts the shaft wall or at least approaches it, so that the gap between the platform and the elevator shaft is completely or almost completely bridged for closing. The gap can be completely or almost completely bridged. A hermetic closure of the elevator shaft by the seal is therefore not absolutely necessary; smaller open areas are conceivable, so that protective effect is still sufficient.

[0009] The platform can comprise a base component, for example, forming a protective roof or a supporting structure. This base component is adapted to the shaft space and almost completely fills it in a plan view. This base component can be designed as a plate or have a plate. When the base component is installed or during the construction phase, it is preferably aligned horizontally. The pneumatically activated seal mentioned above is attached to the base component on the outside or at the edge.

[0010] The seal can be made of an elastic or stretchable polymeric material, with elastomers and particularly preferably rubber being preferred as polymeric materials. The polymeric material can be selected from the group of thermoplastic elastomers, for example, olefin-based or urethane-based, crosslinked olefin-based thermoplastic elastomers, thermoplastic copolyesters, styrene block copolymers (SBS, SEBS, SEPS, SEEPS, and MBS), and thermoplastic copolyamides. Furthermore, it can contain plasticizer-containing materials, preferably polypropylene, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer, polycarbonate, polyvinyl chloride, polymethyl methacrylate, polyethylene terephthalate, polyurethane, and the like, as well as mixtures of these materials.

[0011] The pneumatically activated seal can be designed as a hollow chamber seal with at least one cavity, wherein the at least one cavity of the seal can be filled with air or, optionally, another gaseous medium, and wherein the pressure can be varied by means of a pneumatic actuator in the cavity of the seal to create the desired active position. The wall of the pneumatically activated seal surrounding the cavity can have a thickness of approximately 0.5 to 10 mm and preferably approximately 2 to 5 mm, whereby the seal can also withstand the high mechanical stresses during the construction phase, for example, due to abrasion on the shaft wall.

[0012] It can be advantageous if the pneumatically activated seal is designed as a hose-like sealing strip.

[0013] The platform can have a substantially rectangular basic shape with respect to a top view or in the vertical view, wherein the platform is rounded in its corner regions so that the seal can be applied or is applied to the platform in the corner regions without buckling. This rounding of the platform refers to the top view of the platform or - if the platform is used in the elevator system - to a vertical viewing direction. Preferably, the rounded corner regions of the platform of the base component can have a radius of at least 5 cm and preferably at least 10 cm. If the platform has a base component that is substantially rectangular with respect to the top view, the corner regions of the base component can be rounded in this way.

[0014] For optimal sealing, it is advantageous if edge wedges are attached or molded onto the seal in the corner areas of the elevator shaft. The edge wedges form a type of corner piece and ensure that the pneumatically activated seal, in the active position, also fills the corners of the shaft more or less precisely. The edge wedges can be made of the same material as the seal or of a different plastic material. The edge wedges can be separate sealing components that are glued to the seal or fixed in another way. The edge wedges can also be molded from the same material and integrated into the seal to form a monolithic component.

[0015] Furthermore, the pneumatically activated seal can be reinforced or provided with covers, at least in the area of ​​the top surface of the seal, thereby protecting the relatively sensitive elastic or stretchable polymer material of the seal. For example, the seal can be fully or partially covered with an abrasion- and / or cut-resistant film or other layer for reinforcement.

[0016] The seal can be located on the front side of the platform. For example, if the platform has a rectangular base component, the seal can be located on the front sides of the base component. However, it is also conceivable to locate the seal on the top or bottom sides of the base component.

[0017] The platform may have a circumferential groove to accommodate the seal. This groove forms a kind of sealing bed for the seal, ensuring it is securely held within it.

[0018] It is advantageous if the platform can be arranged at the bottom of the platform (6, 7). The platform can comprise a preferably plate-like roof structure for forming a protective roof and for covering the elevator shaft, and the seal can be arranged below or on an underside of the roof structure. This arrangement has the advantage that the seal, or at least sections of the seal, are protected by the roof structure. The arrangement of the seal can be such that, in the rest position, it is completely covered by the roof structure, and in the active position, a front region of the seal projects beyond the roof structure.

[0019] A further aspect of the invention relates to an elevator system for a building under construction, comprising an elevator shaft that increases in height during the construction phase of the building as the building height increases, comprising the previously described platform. The elevator system, with at least one platform equipped with the pneumatically activated seal, reliably protects the shaft area below from falling parts and dirt. The elevator system can comprise control means for controlling and operating the seal. The control means can be designed such that, after a lifting process in which the platform was moved, the pneumatically activated seal is automatically moved from the rest position to the active position upon reaching the desired vertical position.

[0020] The pneumatically activated seal is preferably used in platforms used in locations where the guide rail has not yet been installed. For example, the platform equipped with the pneumatically activated seal can be an upper protective platform that forms a protective roof for the assembly platform below.

[0021] The pneumatically activated seal can also be used for platforms where the guide rails are already installed. For example, the pneumatically activated seal could be used in a protective roof of the machine platform, as shown in Figure 4 of WO 2015 / 003964. It is also conceivable for the seal to be divided into segments and for empty spaces to be provided in the area of ​​the rails. Alternatively, it is also conceivable to adapt the shape of the platform and seal, for example, by means of U-shaped indentations, so that the rail is bypassed and, in the active position, the gap to the rail is reduced.

[0022] Finally, a further aspect of the invention relates to a method for erecting an elevator system for a building under construction with an elevator shaft that becomes higher as the building's height increases during the construction phase, wherein a usable lifting height of the elevator system is adapted to the increasing height of the building by performing at least one lifting process, during which lifting process, for example, a machine platform with an elevator drive and an elevator car suspended from the machine platform via support means are lifted in the elevator shaft by means of a lifting device. The method comprises the use of a platform equipped with a pneumatically activated seal. The seal is activated during the construction phase; in the corresponding active position, the seal seals or closes a gap between the platform and the elevator shaft.For a lifting operation, the seal is moved to the rest position, where it is spaced away from the elevator shaft, allowing the platform to move upwards without interference. After the lifting operation, the seal is returned to the active position to continue the construction phase.

[0023] Further advantages and individual features are evident from the following description of exemplary embodiments and the drawings. They show:

[0024] Fig. 1 is a schematic representation of an elevator system for a building under construction with an elevator shaft that becomes higher as the building height increases during the construction phase,

[0025] Fig. 2 is a side view of a protective platform of a lift installation of the type shown in Fig. 1,

[0026] Fig. 3a is a highly simplified side view of a platform with a pneumatically activated seal in a rest position,

[0027] Fig. 3b the platform with the pneumatically activated seal in an active position,

[0028] Fig. 4a the platform from Fig. 3a in a top view (rest position), Fig. 4b the platform from Fig. 3b in a top view (active position),

[0029] Fig. 5a is an enlarged detail view of a corner area of ​​a platform with an alternative pneumatically activated seal in the rest position, and

[0030] Fig. 5b the corner area and the platform with the seal in active position.

[0031] Fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of an elevator installation 1 for a building 10 under construction. The building 10 comprises an elevator shaft 2 which becomes higher as the building progresses in construction. An elevator car 4 is installed in the elevator shaft 2. During vertical travel, the elevator car 4 is guided on at least one guide rail strand 3. Above the elevator car 4, the elevator installation 1 has an arrangement for equipping the upwardly growing elevator shaft 2, in particular with guide rails for the guide rail strand 3. This arrangement comprises a protective platform 7, a machine platform 6 and an assembly platform 5 arranged between these two platforms 6, 7. The assembly platform 5 is the platform from which the guide rail strand 3 is extended upwards. The assembly platform 5 serves as a working platform for assembly personnel.Furthermore, the assembly platform 5 - in addition to the guide rails - can also be used as a transport means for other elevator components to be assembled.

[0032] For the sake of simplicity, only one guide rail section 3 is shown in Fig. 1. Two opposing guide rail sections are preferably used to guide the elevator car 4. The latter elevator typically includes a counterweight (not shown here) in addition to the elevator car. For optimal linear guidance of the elevator car and the counterweight, multiple guide rail sections are required, with each guide rail section consisting of a series of guide rail profiles.

[0033] Except for the area of ​​the elevator shaft 2 extending over several floors, other building parts outside the elevator shaft 2 are not shown in Fig. 1. What is special about the elevator shaft 2 is its vertical extension, which in certain elevator shafts can practically extend over the entire height of the building. The building 10 can comprise one or more such elevator shafts 2. In the present embodiment, the elevator shaft 2 is designed for an elevator with an elevator car and counterweight. However, the elevator shaft 2 can also be designed for several elevators. The elevator shaft 2 could also be designed for a self-propelled construction-phase elevator car. The elevator car 4 enables the transport of people and goods to and from the lower floors even during the construction phase of the building. In particular, the elevator car can be used to transport construction workers and building materials.However, users of apartments or business premises already occupied before the building was completed can also be transported between at least the floors assigned to these rooms in accordance with the regulations.

[0034] The elevator shaft 2 is, in a sense, divided into several sections in the vertical direction. In a lower section of the elevator shaft 2, which is located below the machine platform 6, the elevator shaft 2 is already installed with the necessary guide rails for the linear guidance of the elevator car and the counterweight of the elevator for the finished building. The elevator system 1 for the building 2 under construction has, in this section, a conventional elevator car 4 and a counter-movable counterweight (not shown). The elevator car 4 presented here could, however, also be replaced by a self-propelled construction-phase elevator car 4 for transporting people or goods for the duration of the construction phase of the building 10. In this case, the machine platform 6 could be replaced by another platform, and in particular, a platform without a drive machine for the elevator.

[0035] From the assembly platform 6, at least one guide rail line 3 is extended upwards in a rail assembly phase. This rail assembly phase is shown in Fig. 1. In addition to the installation of guide rails, further work for the assembly of the shaft equipment or other work steps can be performed from the assembly platform 5. In the phase, simply referred to as the rail assembly phase, the assembly platform 5 can be moved vertically up or down to the desired position via cables. The assembly platform 5 is suspended from the protection platform 7 via the cable-based lifting device 23.

[0036] The protective platform designated 7 is temporarily fixed in an upper area of ​​the existing elevator shaft 2. The protective platform 7 is designed as a supporting structure. The supporting structure serves, among other things, to support the lifting device 23, with which the assembly platform 6 can be moved up and down. The protective platform 7 further has means 24 for lifting the machine platform 6. However, the protective platform 7 also has the task of protecting people and equipment in the elevator shaft 2—in particular in the aforementioned assembly platform 5—from objects that may fall during construction work on the building 2.

[0037] The rail assembly phase can be followed by a growth phase. After completion of the

[0038] During the rail installation phase and after the elevator shaft 2 has become sufficiently higher as construction of the building 2 progresses, the protective platform 7 must be positioned at the next higher level. The protective platform 7 is raised to the next higher level, for example, using a construction crane, so that as the building height increases, it can grow with the increased elevator shaft 2. Under certain circumstances, however, it is also possible to raise the upper protective platform 7 to the next higher level using other means and without the use of a crane. After reaching the next higher level, the protective platform 7 is temporarily fixed again in the elevator shaft 2. The machine platform 6 can then be raised to the next higher level. For this purpose, the protective platform 7 has lifting equipment 24, for example, a chain hoist.The chain hoist is designed to allow the machine platform 7, preferably together with the attached elevator car 4, to be moved upwards for a lifting operation. However, the machine platform 7 could also be moved to the upper operating position using other lifting means, such as a crane, winch, hydraulic jack, or.

[0039] Strand jacks are used. Other elevator systems for a building under construction with an elevator shaft that increases in height during the construction phase as the building's height increases, using additional or alternatively designed platforms, are also known. The special solution for sealing the shaft space, shown below using the example of platform 7 and described in detail, is generally applicable to all types of platforms used in such elevator systems.

[0040] Platform 7 of the elevator system according to Fig. 1 can also be assigned to a climbing formwork or even be part of a climbing formwork. The climbing formwork comprises formwork (not shown) for concreting. In this case, platform 7 can thus be designed as a climbing formwork platform for the floor-by-floor production of concrete sections of the building core comprising the elevator shaft 2. The climbing formwork platform can have integrated climbing drives and be designed as a self-climbing formwork platform. As shown in Fig. 1, in another variant, the climbing formwork platform can be suspended floor-by-floor from anchors in the shaft walls.

[0041] Fig. 2 shows a possible structural design of a protective platform 7 that can be used in elevator systems according to Fig. 1. The protective platform 7 has, for example, pivotable support elements 25 that are inserted into recesses in the shaft walls to secure the protective platform 7. Also visible is the motorized lifting device 24 with the chain hoist. The chain of the chain hoist is stored in a chain storage unit. With the chain hoist, the movable machine platform and the elevator car can be moved from a lower temporary deployment position to the next upper deployment position. 26 denotes chain hoists via which the protective platform 7 can be moved upwards. The protective platform 7 has a plate-like roof structure 16 for covering the elevator shaft 2, on the underside of which a seal designated 11 is arranged.The seal 11 is a pneumatically activated seal for sealing or closing the gap between platform 7 and elevator shaft 2. The circumferential seal is attached to the edge of platform 7. In the active position, when the pneumatically activated seal 11 is pressurized with compressed air, it presses against the shaft wall 21 and thus ensures the desired sealing effect. The seal 11 is designed as a hollow chamber seal and is made of rubber, for example. Instead of a rubber seal, other elastic or expandable polymer materials are also conceivable for the seal. The pneumatically activated seal 11 can, for example, be an O-ring seal whose volume is variable depending on the pressure applied. The seal 11 is covered at the bottom by a protective plate 20.

[0042] The mode of operation of the pneumatically activated seal 11 of the protective platform or another platform for an elevator system for a building under construction is shown in Figures 3a and 3b. In the rest position shown in Fig. 3a, the pneumatically activated seal 11 is spaced from the adjacent shaft wall 21, which enables trouble-free vertical movement of the platform. For example, the shaft space must be secured for the rail assembly phase. For this purpose, the seal 11 is brought into the active position shown in Fig. 3b. In the active position, the inflated seal 11 is larger in volume than its rest position, so that it contacts the shaft wall to close the gap between platform 7 and elevator shaft 2. The pneumatically activated seal 11 is arranged in a seal carrier 17, which here, for example, is attached to the upper side of the roof structure 16 of platform 7.The seal carrier 17 has a groove 18 for forming a seal bed. However, the seal 11 could also be inserted into other seal receptacles, in particular into a circumferential groove with a cross-sectional shape other than the exemplary round one.

[0043] That the pneumatically activatable, or in other words inflatable, seal 11 is designed as a circumferential seal attached to the platform 7 can also be seen from Fig. 4a. In Figures 4a and 4b, which represent the top view, it can also be seen that the seal 11 is more or less angular in the corner areas. To form such corners, edge wedges 14 are integrally formed on the seal 11. In the exemplary embodiment according to Figures 5a and 5b, the edge wedges 14 are designed as separate elements that are glued or otherwise fixed to the seal 11. The edge wedges 14 ensure that, when the seal 11 is activated (active position, Fig. 4b), no dirt or objects can penetrate downwards into the corner areas. The edge wedges thus serve to seal the corner areas 19 of the elevator shaft 2. The platform 7 has a substantially rectangular basic shape with respect to the top view.In its corner areas, the platform 7, or more precisely the roof structure 16, is rounded in plan view or in the vertical direction. The respective rounded corner areas of the platform 7 are characterized by a radius R of at least 5 cm and preferably at least 10 cm. The rounding of the corner areas is particularly important in those areas of the platform with which the seal 11 is in operative connection. Areas of the platform outside of an operative area for the seal 11, which operative area is defined, for example, by the groove 18 (see Fig. 3a / 3b), can still remain more or less sharp-edged corner areas without rounding.

Claims

1. Platform (6, 7) for an elevator system (1) for a building (10) under construction with an elevator shaft (2) which increases in height during the construction phase of the building, characterized in that the platform (6, 7) comprises a pneumatically actuated seal (11) for sealing a gap between the platform (6, 7) and the elevator shaft (2), wherein the seal (11) is designed as a circumferential seal which is attached to the platform (6, 7).

2. Platform (6, 7) according to claim 1, characterized in that a compressed air source (12) preferably in the form of a compressor for operating the pneumatically actuated seal is arranged on or in the platform (6, 7).

3. Platform (6, 7) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the platform (6, 7) is rounded in its corner areas.

4. Platform (6, 7) according to claim 3, characterized in that the rounded corner areas of the platform (6, 7) have a radius (R) of at least 5 cm and preferably at least 10 cm.

5. Platform (6, 7) according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that edge wedges (14) are attached or molded onto the seal (11) in the corner areas.

6. Platform (6, 7) according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the platform (6, 7) has a circumferential groove (18) for receiving the seal (11).

7. Platform (6, 7) according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the platform (6, 7) is arranged at the bottom of the platform (6, 7).

8. Elevator system (1) for a building (10) under construction, comprising an elevator shaft (2) which increases in height during the construction phase of the building, comprising at least one platform (6, 7) according to one of claims 1 to 7, which platform (6, 7) is equipped with a pneumatically actuated seal (11) for sealing or closing a gap between the platform and the elevator shaft (2).

9. Method for installing a lift system (1) for a building under construction (10) with a height that increases with the building's height during the construction phase elevator shaft (2), characterized in that a platform (6, 7) equipped with a pneumatically activatable seal (11) is used, which seal (11) is activated during the construction phase and in an active position seals or closes a gap between the platform and the elevator shaft, which seal (11) is brought into a rest position for a lifting operation in which the seal (11) is spaced away from the elevator shaft (2) and which seal (11) is brought back into the active position after the lifting operation.

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