Elevator

Abstract

The invention relates to an elevator and a method for the emergency unlocking of a cabin door of the elevator. The elevator has a cabin which can move in a shaft and moves to at least one floor. The cabin has a cabin door and a shaft door. The cabin door has an electrically activatable cabin door lock, and the shaft door has an electrically activatable shaft door lock. The cabin door lock has a first latch for locking a first cabin door leaf and an emergency unlocking mechanism. The shaft door has a lock which can be accessed from the floor. An actuator is attached to the shaft door. The method comprises the following steps: - the shaft door is unlocked from the floor by the lock being manually actuated, - the actuation of the lock moves the actuator from a first position to a second position; - when the second position is reached, the actuator actuates the emergency unlocking mechanism; and - the actuation of the emergency unlocking mechanism unlocks the cabin door lock in order to unlock the first cabin door leaf.

Description

[0001] ELEVATOR

[0002] The present invention relates to an elevator and a method for emergency unlocking of a car door of an elevator.

[0003] In an elevator, a car is typically moved vertically in a shaft between different floors or levels within a building. At each floor, passengers can enter and exit the car, or other loads to be transported can be loaded or unloaded from the car. To allow access to the car, shaft doors are located on the floor, and the car also has a car door. The car door and the shaft door together form an openable and closable passage from the car to the floor, or vice versa. To ensure that the car door remains securely closed during travel, the car door has a car door lock that locks one or more car door panels during travel. The shaft door also has a shaft door lock that keeps one or more shaft door panels locked, at least when the car is not present.

[0004] The car door also has a drive designed to open and close the car door panels. Typically, this movement of the car door panels is transmitted to the respective shaft door to be opened on the floor being approached via a door coupling. For this purpose, a car door coupling engages with a shaft door coupling, which together form the door coupling. The shaft door coupling often has at least one roller that rolls along at least one coupling guide. Alternatively, it can also be the other way around.

[0005] Typically, the door clutch can also unlock a shaft door lock. US 8820485 B2, for example, shows a known door clutch that unlocks a shaft door leaf by spreading the door clutch, and the door clutch also transmits the movement of a car door to the shaft door leaves. For this purpose, the door clutch has a mechanism that uses the movement of the car door drive to unlock the car door. However, such mechanisms are complicated, expensive, and prone to failure. EP3328769A1 shows an electric actuator for unlocking a car door. Such an electric drive requires electrical energy for unlocking. Such an actuator therefore does not function in the event of a power failure. In the event of a power failure, the car can be moved to a floor using known methods. However, the car door cannot be unlocked, and the passengers remain trapped in the car.

[0006] It can therefore be seen as a task to provide an emergency release that allows a car door locked with an electric lock to be unlocked directly from the floor even in the event of a power failure.

[0007] According to a first aspect of the invention, an elevator solves this problem. The elevator has a car that can travel in a shaft and travels to at least one floor. The car has a car door with at least one first car door leaf, and the elevator has a shaft door with at least one first shaft door leaf. The car door has an electrically activated car door lock, and the shaft door has an electrically activated shaft door lock. The car door lock has a first bolt for locking the first car door leaf. The shaft door has a lock accessible from the floor, by means of which the shaft door can be unlocked from the floor. The lock is manually operable. The car door lock has an emergency release mechanism, and the emergency release mechanism is operatively connected to at least the first bolt of the car door lock.An actuator is attached to the shaft door, which can be moved from a first position to a second position by moving a key in the lock. This activates the emergency release mechanism. By actuating the emergency release mechanism, the first bolt can be moved to an unlocked position, thereby unlocking the car door lock and thus unlocking the first car door leaf.

[0008] According to a second aspect of the invention, a method for emergency unlocking of a car door of an elevator solves the problem. The elevator has a car that can be moved in a shaft and travels to at least one floor. The car has a car door with at least one first car door leaf, and the elevator has a shaft door with at least one first shaft door leaf. The car door has an electrically activated car door lock, and the shaft door has an electrically activated shaft door lock. The car door lock has a first bolt for locking the first car door leaf and an emergency unlocking mechanism. The shaft door has a lock that can be reached from the floor. An actuator is attached to the shaft door.

[0009] The method comprises the steps of unlocking the shaft door from the floor by manually operating the lock, moving the actuator from a first position to a second position by operating the lock, actuating the emergency release mechanism by the actuator upon reaching the second position, and unlocking the car door lock by operating the emergency release mechanism to thereby unlock the first car door leaf.

[0010] Possible features and advantages of embodiments of the invention may be considered, among other things and without limiting the invention, to be based on ideas and findings described below.

[0011] The travel path of an elevator encompasses the space the car travels through during its journey to the floors. It can be inside or outside a building. The shaft doors separate the travel path from the space on the floor. This prevents people from falling.

[0012] A service technician, or another person familiar with elevator operation, can free passengers trapped inside thanks to this invention. The service technician inserts a matching key into the shaft door lock to unlock the shaft door. The key and lock can be designed so that simply inserting the key into the lock moves the actuator to the second position.

[0013] According to a preferred embodiment, the method for emergency unlocking further comprises the following steps: that a key is inserted into the lock, that the key is preferably turned by at least 20°, and that the car door is unlocked by the operator actuating the emergency unlocking mechanism on the car door lock by turning the key.

[0014] The key is preferably designed as a triangular key. However, it can also be a construction key. This can be seen as an advantage because these key types are widely used, meaning many people have one. In an emergency, many people will be able to free passengers from the cabin. However, it is also possible to design the lock so that it has a cylinder lock, which requires a special key to open. This can be seen as an advantage because it ensures that only authorized persons can enter the shaft.

[0015] The shaft door is preferably unlocked via a mechanical connection between the lock and the shaft door lock, so that moving the key in the lock unlocks the shaft door. However, unlike the emergency opening on the car, such connections are designed as permanent connections, as the shaft door lock is permanently attached to the shaft door. Such a direct connection can be implemented, for example, using a tension rod, a push rod, a Bowden cable, or a lever.

[0016] The movement of the key in the lock causes the actuator attached to the shaft door to be moved from the first position to a second position. The movement can be designed, for example, as a linear displacement, such as when a cylinder is extended. Alternatively, the movement can be designed in an arc, as could be achieved, for example, by being guided by a parallelogram. The actuator is moved into the second position directly by the movement of the key in the lock or by a transmission of this movement, for example by means of a push rod. In the second position, the actuator is preferably in contact with the emergency release mechanism and thereby actuates the emergency release mechanism. The emergency release mechanism can have a push button to which the actuator can apply a pressure force.Furthermore, the emergency release mechanism can have a guide that can be actuated by the operator. The movement of the handle or guide can be transmitted to the car door lock via a lever, a push rod, or a Bowden cable, for example. The emergency release mechanism is thus operatively connected to the first bolt of the car door lock.

[0017] The door panels can be designed, for example, as rolling doors or folding doors. Preferably, the door panels are part of a sliding door, i.e., as solid, plate-like bodies that can be moved horizontally or perpendicularly to a doorway.

[0018] According to a preferred embodiment, the emergency release mechanism is designed as an emergency release lever. The emergency release lever can be designed as a rod or tube that is directly connected to the car door lock. A pressure force exerted by the actuator on the emergency release lever leads to a movement of the emergency release lever, which in turn leads to a movement of the car door lock and in particular of the first bolt. The emergency release lever is thus operatively connected to the first bolt of the car door lock. This is a cost-effective embodiment, since such an elevator has only a few additional components.

[0019] The first car door latch engages a hook on the first car door leaf, which is locked by this engagement of the latch.

[0020] The movement of the actuator can therefore lead to a movement of the car door lock in several ways, and this movement leads to the unlocking of the car door leaf.

[0021] Both the first shaft door leaf and the first car door leaf can be unlocked by operating the key in the lock. This has the advantage that the shaft door and the car door can now be opened simultaneously. The first car door leaf and the first shaft door leaf are connected by the door coupling; only when both are unlocked can the shaft door and the car door be opened simultaneously. Passengers can now leave the car.

[0022] According to a preferred embodiment, the actuator is spaced from the clearance profile of the car in the first position. The clearance profile of the car describes the space covered by the car during its travel. The fact that the actuator is spaced from the clearance profile of the car in the first position ensures that it does not touch the car as it passes by. The actuator is preferably arranged in a cavity or pocket in the door jamb above the first shaft door leaf. In the first position, the actuator can be arranged exactly vertically above the first door leaf or have a horizontal offset. This protects the actuator from dirt falling into the shaft.

[0023] According to a preferred embodiment, the actuator, in the second position, bridges a gap between the shaft door and the car door. This allows the actuator to operatively connect with the emergency release mechanism. Bridging is preferably achieved by means of the actuator, which is designed as a mechanical element.

[0024] According to a preferred embodiment, the car door has a second car door leaf which can be locked by a second latch, and the emergency release mechanism also brings the second latch into an unlocked position.

[0025] According to a preferred embodiment, the shaft door also has a second shaft door leaf.

[0026] According to a preferred embodiment, the method for emergency unlocking of a car door further comprises the step of unlocking a second car door leaf by actuating the emergency unlocking mechanism.

[0027] The elevator can therefore have a second car door panel and, optionally, a second shaft door panel. Preferably, there are as many car door panels as shaft door panels per floor. With several smaller door panels, the open door requires less space than with one large door panel, and a larger area can be used as the doorway for a given elevator car.

[0028] The door leaves, i.e., the car door leaves and / or the shaft door leaves, can move telescopically. This means that the first and second car door leaves each move in the same direction, with the first car door leaf moving faster, preferably twice as fast as the second car door leaf. Alternatively, the first and second car door leaves can also open centrally, meaning that the first car door leaf and the second car door leaf move away from each other in opposite directions when opening from a door gap located centrally at the car door.

[0029] According to a preferred embodiment, the actuator is designed as a lever that is rotated in a horizontal plane by turning the key. In a simple embodiment, the actuator can thus be designed as a lever, preferably attached directly to the shaft door lock. The lever can be designed as a metal strip, rod, or tube. The actuator then rotates in a horizontal plane, with the axis of rotation aligned vertically.

[0030] According to a preferred embodiment, the method for emergency unlocking of a car door further comprises the following step: that turning the key directly causes a rotation of the actuator.

[0031] The rotation of the actuator is a special case of travel motion. During rotation, the actuator rotates around a fixed axis of rotation in space.

[0032] For this purpose, the actuator and the key in the lock preferably share a common axis of rotation. This has the advantage that the actuator is firmly connected directly to the lock. This eliminates the need for additional bearings or mechanisms to transmit the movement of the key to the movement of the actuator.

[0033] According to a preferred embodiment, the actuation involves applying a compressive force to the emergency release lever. Therefore, the actuator preferably presses on the emergency release mechanism by essentially applying a compressive force. Alternatively, the actuation can also be effected, for example, via a magnetic force. For this purpose, either the actuator or the emergency release mechanism has a magnet. The other part, the actuator or the emergency release mechanism, is made of a ferromagnetic material or has at least one part made of ferromagnetic material. The magnet then serves to attract the ferromagnetic part, provided that the distance is reduced by operating the key in the lock, and to unlock the car door lock through the increasing attractive force.

[0034] Alternatively, the emergency release mechanism and the actuator can both contain a magnet. These magnets can be polarized so that they repel each other when approached by the key in the lock. This repulsive force can also activate the emergency release mechanism.

[0035] According to a preferred embodiment, the cabin door lock has a rotor which is mounted so as to be rotatable about an axis.

[0036] This axis is preferably aligned horizontally. A horizontally aligned axis can easily be aligned vertically along the vertical cabin wall.

[0037] In addition, the movement takes place within a narrow area, preferably aligned parallel to the first cabin door leaf. Because this area is narrow, the cabin door transom can be designed to be slim, leaving more space for the cabin interior.

[0038] According to a preferred embodiment, the first latch and the emergency release mechanism are firmly connected to the rotor. Thus, the car door lock essentially consists of a single, movably mounted body. This has the advantage of eliminating the need for additional joints or mechanisms.

[0039] The emergency release lever and the first latch can optionally be combined into a single component. For example, the first latch and the emergency release lever can be machined from a single workpiece, preferably a piece of sheet metal. Optionally, the same component can also include a part that acts as a tension weight or to which the tension weight can be attached. Optionally or alternatively, the second latch can be made from the same component.

[0040] According to a preferred embodiment, the rotor has a pretensioner, so that the first latch is pretensioned by the pretensioner towards a locked position.

[0041] This ensures that the first latch is securely engaged with the first car door leaf. The first car door leaf can therefore only be unlocked intentionally, by either the car door lock drive or the emergency release mechanism opening the lock. A pretensioner can be designed, for example, as a tension spring, a compression spring, a torsion spring, or a tension weight.

[0042] Further advantages, features, and details of the invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments and from the drawings, in which identical or functionally identical elements are provided with identical reference numerals. The drawings are merely schematic and not to scale.

[0043] Showing:

[0044] Fig. 1 an upper part of a cabin door 200 in a frontal view

[0045] Fig. 2 the same embodiment as Fig. 1 with unlocked cabin door lock 203

[0046] Fig. 3 the same embodiment as Fig. 1 in a side view

[0047] Fig. 4 the same embodiment as Fig. 1 in combination with a shaft door 100 in a side view when operating the shaft door lock 103

[0048] Fig. 5a to 5c further variants of the design of the emergency release mechanism 209, and

[0049] Fig. 6 shows an elevator with the car door 200 and several shaft doors 100.

[0050] Fig. 1 shows the car door 200 with a first door leaf 202, 202a slidably attached thereto and a second door leaf 202, 202b slidably attached thereto in the closed state. The rollers 230 serve to mount the door leaves 202 on the door jamb 221 for low-friction movement. The first door leaf 202a has a first door hook 211, into which a first bolt 205 can engage to lock the first door leaf in the closed position. The second door leaf 202b similarly has a second door hook 212, into which a second bolt 207 can engage to lock the second door leaf in the closed position.

[0051] To unlock the two door leaves 202, the first latch 205 and the second latch 207 can be rotated clockwise together as one body, so that the first latch 205 releases the first car door hook 211 of the first car door leaf 202a and the second latch 207 releases the second car door hook 212 of the second car door leaf 202b. This frees both door leaves 202 to be moved, and thus opened, by a door drive or manually by a service technician. The movement of the car door leaves 202 is transmitted via the car door couplings 20, 220 to the shaft door couplings 120 (see Fig. 4). Unlocking is normally performed via an electric car door lock drive 201 (see Fig. 3 or 4).

[0052] In the event of a power failure, the door drive does not function. In this case, the car door lock 203 can be unlocked by an emergency release mechanism 209 of the car door 200. The emergency release mechanism 209 is designed as an emergency release lever 210. By applying a compressive force, i.e., the actuating force 500 (see Fig. 5), from left to right to the emergency release lever 210, the lever is rotated. This rotates the bolts of the door lock 203, as shown in Fig. 2, and the car door leaves 202 are unlocked, or rather, released for movement.

[0053] Fig. 3 shows a side view of a situation in which the car 600 stops at a floor 601 and therefore the shaft door 200 and car door 100 are opposite each other at the same height. The rollers are not shown in Fig. 3. The shaft door 100 and the car door 200 are essentially spaced apart by a distance of 17. The distance 17 is only exceeded in the area of ​​the door coupling 20, where a shaft door coupling 120 engages with a car door coupling 220. The shaft door coupling 120 and the car door coupling 220 engage with each other, so that the first car door leaf 202a and the first shaft door leaf 102a move together. In addition, a vertical movement of the car 600 is possible due to the shape of the shaft door coupling 120 and the car door coupling 220. The door coupling 20 causes the first shaft door leaf 102a on floor 601 to move together with the first car door leaf 202a. The car door leaf 202a is, as shown in Fig.1 described locked.

[0054] The first shaft door leaf 102a is also locked via a hook 111 of the first shaft door leaf 102a and a first shaft door bolt 105. The car door lock 203 is driven by the electric car door lock drive 201 and can thus unlock the first car door leaf 202a. The shaft door lock 103 is driven by the electric shaft door lock drive 101 and can thus unlock the first car door leaf 102a. The car door lock 203 is attached to the car door transom 221. The shaft lock 103 is attached to the shaft door transom 121. A lock 11 and the actuator 15 are arranged in the shaft door transom 121, so that the actuator 15 is spaced from the clearance profile of the car in the first position. The actuator 15 is also protected from dirt or falling objects in the shaft door transom 121.

[0055] Fig. 4 shows the same embodiment as Fig. 1 and Fig. 3, but in a situation in which the actuator 15 is just touching the emergency release lever 210, i.e., immediately before the lock is opened. The first car door lock bolt 205 is still locked. Fig. 4 shows the situation in which a service technician 19 opens the shaft door 100 and a car door 200 located behind it to release passengers from the car. To do so, the service technician 19 inserts the key 13 into the lock 11. The key can be turned in the lock 11. The rotation of the key is transmitted to the actuator, which, thanks to a long lever arm, can now bridge the distance 17 to the car door striker 221. In the car door transom 221, the actuator 15 presses the emergency release lever 210. The actuator 15 and the key 13 in the lock 11 share a common axis of rotation. Therefore, no transmission of the movement to a gear or linkage is necessary. In Fig.2, the movement of the car door lock 203 caused by the actuator 15 is represented by the rotation arrow.

[0056] The shaft door lock 103 is also unlocked when the key 13 is turned. This can be achieved conventionally (not shown) via a permanent mechanical connection between the lock 11 and the shaft door lock 101. This connection can, for example, be implemented as a push rod that directly or indirectly connects the lock 11 to the shaft door lock 103. Alternatively, the shaft door lock 103 can also have a separate emergency release mechanism, such as a separate emergency release lever. This unlocks the car door 200 and the shaft door 100 in the same way in an emergency.

[0057] Fig. 5 shows further alternative variants for the design of the emergency release mechanism 209 and, independently of this, various design variants of a pretensioner 540. The car door lock 203, the first car door latch 205, the second car door latch 207, the first car door hook 211, and the second car door hook 212 are each designed similarly. Likewise, an actuator force 500 is always applied. This is the pressure force that the actuator 15 (see Fig. 4) applies to the emergency release mechanism 209.

[0058] Fig. 5a shows the use of a Bowden cable 501. The actuating force 500 presses on a Bowden cable lever 512. On the side opposite the bearing 513 of the Bowden cable lever 512, the Bowden cable lever 512 pulls a pull cable 511 when actuated. The pull cable is guided in a hose 510 to the car door lock 203. The pull cable 511 is connected to the car door lock 203 in such a way that a pulling movement on the pull cable 511 unlocks the car door lock 203. The pretensioner 540 thereby tensions the pull cable 511, so that the emergency release mechanism 209 is moved back to its original position when the actuating force 500 is removed.

[0059] The pretensioner 540 is shown in Fig. 5a as a tension spring 541. Alternatively, a compression spring could be installed. This would then have to be installed on the other side so that its force has the same effect.

[0060] Fig. 5b shows an emergency release linkage 502. The actuator force 500 presses on a push button 520, which in turn presses on a first linkage lever 521. The movement is transmitted to the car door lock 203 via the linkage push rod 522, a linkage angle 523, and a pull wire 524.

[0061] The use of the pusher 520 is optional. It is also possible to apply the actuating force 500 directly to the first linkage lever 521, thus omitting the pusher 520.

[0062] The pretensioner 540 is designed as a torsion spring 542 in Fig. 5b.

[0063] Fig. 5c shows an emergency release gate system 503. The actuating force 500 of the actuator 15 acts on a gate surface 530. A gate lever 531 is rotated about a gate pivot point 532. This rotation sets the car door lock 203 in motion via a pull wire 533 and unlocks the car door leaves 202. The pretensioner 540 is designed as a tension weight 543 in Fig. 5c.

[0064] Figure 6 shows a car 600 with a car door 200. This car can be moved in a shaft 603 along a travel direction 602. The travel direction 602 is oriented vertically. The car 600 travels to several floors 601. The floors are separated from the shaft 603 by shaft doors 100.

[0065] 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. Reference signs in the claims are not to be considered as limitations.

Claims

Patent claims 1. Elevator with a car (600) which is movable in a shaft (603) and travels to at least one floor (601), wherein the car (600) has a car door (200) with at least one first car door leaf (202a), the elevator has a shaft door (100) with at least one first shaft door leaf (102a), the car door (200) has an electrically activated car door lock (203) and the shaft door has an electrically activated shaft door lock (103), the car door lock (203) has a first bolt (205) for locking the first car door leaf (202a), the shaft door (100) has a lock (11) which is accessible from the floor (601) and by means of which the shaft door (100) can be unlocked from the floor (601), and the lock (11) is manually operable, characterized in that the cabin door lock (203) has an emergency release mechanism (209),and the emergency release mechanism (209) is operatively connected to at least the first bolt (205) of the car door lock (203), and an actuator (15) is mounted on the shaft door (100), which actuator can be moved from a first position to a second position by moving a key (13) in the lock (11), thereby actuating the emergency release mechanism (209), by actuating the emergency release mechanism (209), the first bolt (205) can be brought into an unlocked position, and thereby unlocking the car door lock (203) in order to unlock the first car door leaf (202a).

2. Elevator according to claim 1, characterized in that the emergency release mechanism (209) is designed as an emergency release lever (210).

3. Elevator according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the actuator (15) in the first position has a distance (17) from the clearance profile of the car (600).

4. Elevator according to claim 3, characterized in that the actuator (15) in the second position can bridge a distance (17) between the shaft door (100) and the car door (200).

5. Elevator according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the car door (200) has a second car door leaf (202b) which can be locked by a second bolt (207) and that the emergency unlocking mechanism (209) also brings the second bolt (207) into an unlocked position.

6. Elevator according to claim 5, characterized in that the shaft door (100) has a second shaft door leaf (102b).

7. Elevator according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the actuator (15) is designed as a lever which is rotated by the rotation of the key (13) in a horizontal plane.

8. Elevator according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the actuation includes applying a compressive force to the emergency release lever.

9. Elevator according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the car door lock (203) has a rotor which is mounted rotatably about an axis.

10. Elevator according to claim 9, characterized in that the first latch (205) and the emergency release mechanism (209) are fixedly connected to the rotor.

11. Elevator according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that the rotor has a pretensioner (540, 541, 542, 543) so that the first bolt (205) is pretensioned by the pretensioner (540, 541, 542, 543) towards a locked position.

12. Method for emergency unlocking of a car door (200) of an elevator, wherein the elevator has a car (600) movable in a shaft, which has at least one floor (601), wherein the car (600) has a car door (200) with at least one first car door leaf (202a) and the elevator has a shaft door (100) with at least one first shaft door leaf (102a), the car door (200) has an electrically activated car door lock (203) and the shaft door (100) has an electrically activated shaft door lock (103), the car door lock (203) has a first bolt (205) for locking the first car door leaf (202a) and an emergency release mechanism (209), and the shaft door (100) has a lock (11) accessible from the floor (601), and an actuator (15) is attached to the shaft door (100), characterized in that the method comprises the following steps: the shaft door (100) is unlocked from the floor (601) by manually operating the lock (11),the actuator (15) is moved from a first position to a second position by actuating the lock (11), the emergency release mechanism (209) is actuated by the actuator (15) upon reaching the second position, and the car door lock (203) is unlocked by actuating the emergency release mechanism (209) in order to unlock the first car door leaf (202a).

13. A method for emergency unlocking of a car door (200) according to claim 12, further comprising the steps of: inserting a key (13) into the lock (11), turning the key (13) by preferably at least 20°, and unlocking the car door (200) by the operator (15) actuating the emergency unlocking mechanism (209) on the car door lock (203) by turning the key (13).

14. A method for emergency unlocking of a car door according to claim 13, further comprising the step: that turning the key (13) directly causes rotation of the actuator (15).

15. A method for emergency unlocking of a car door according to claim 14, further comprising the step of: unlocking a second car door leaf (202b) by actuating the emergency unlocking mechanism (209).

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