Balance weight and elevator

Abstract

To shorten work time of earthquake-proof reinforcement without needing large scale construction.SOLUTION: This elevator balance weight comprises: a block having a plurality of weight pieces stacked to be constructed; a plurality of frames that support the ends of a plurality of weight pieces from the bottom end of the block in the stacking direction of the weight pieces; and at least one connector for connecting the frames over the ends of the weight pieces. As it is only necessary to fit the connector over the frames, work time of earthquake-proof reinforcement can be shortened without needing large scale construction which stops the elevator for a long time.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a counterweight and an elevator, and is suitable for application to, for example, a counterweight and an elevator related to a technique of performing seismic reinforcement.

Background Art

[0002] In Patent Document 1, for example, in an existing elevator, when the strength of the frame supporting the weight block is lower than the current standard and the prevention of the counterweight block from falling off is not sufficient, during seismic reinforcement, the weight block is partially lowered and a thick plate frame connecting fitting is installed in the middle part thereof. A technique is disclosed.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, since it is necessary to lower the weight block, large-scale work such as installing a scaffold or fixing the position of the car and the weight block is required, and it is difficult to complete the work in a short time.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and intends to propose a counterweight and an elevator capable of shortening the working time for seismic reinforcement.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In order to solve this problem, the present invention comprises a weight block composed of multiple weight pieces stacked on top of each other, multiple frames that support the ends of the multiple weight pieces from the bottom end of the weight block along the stacking direction of the multiple weight pieces, and at least one connecting device that connects the multiple frames across the ends of the multiple weight pieces. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, the time required for earthquake-resistant reinforcement work can be shortened. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008]

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, based on the drawings, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, a configuration example of the elevator 100 will be described. FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional perspective view showing a configuration example of the elevator 100 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a horizontal cross-sectional view showing a configuration example of the elevator 100 according to the present embodiment. On each floor, a landing door 71 and a landing operation panel 72 are provided. The landing operation panel 72 is an operation part that is operated to call the car 4.

[0010] The elevator 100 includes a hoistway 1, a car 4, a counterweight 5, a hoisting machine 3, car guide rails 6, 7, and counterweight guide rails 8, 9. The hoistway 1 is formed in a building and is a lifting space in which the car 4 and the counterweight 5 move up and down.

[0011] The car 4 moves up and down inside the hoistway 1 provided in the building. The car 4 is provided with an opening / closing door for passengers to get on and off on its front surface. An opening is formed in the front wall surface 1Aa of the hoistway 1 corresponding to the opening / closing door for getting on and off. Inside the hoistway 1, a control panel 2 for controlling the operation of the elevator 100 including the up and down movement of the car 4 is arranged.

[0012] The hoisting machine 3 winds up a main rope that supports the upper part of the car 4 in the vertical direction inside the hoistway 1. The car guide rails 6, 7 are erected in the hoistway 1 and guide the ascending and descending car 4. The counterweight guide rails 8, 9 are erected in the hoistway 1 and guide the ascending and descending counterweight 5. The detailed configuration of the counterweight 5 will be described later. Note that the position of the hoisting machine 3 is not limited to the illustrated example.

[0013] The car 4 and the counterweight 5 are provided inside the hoistway 1. The car 4 and the counterweight 5 are, for example, suspended in a pendulum fashion by a main rope. The car guide rails 6, 7 and the counterweight guide rails 8, 9 are erected vertically along the inner wall 1A of the hoistway 1.

[0014] The elevator 100 frictionally drives the main rope with the hoisting machine 3 to move the car 4 up and down along the car guide rails 6, 7, and at the same time, moves the counterweight 5 up and down along the counterweight guide rails 8, 9 in the direction opposite to the moving direction of the car 4.

[0015] The car guide rail 6 is fixed to the inner wall 1A of the hoistway 1 by a car rail bracket. The car guide rail 7 and the counterweight guide rail 8 are fixed to the inner wall 1A of the hoistway 1 by a shared rail bracket. The counterweight guide rail 9 is fixed to the inner wall 1A of the hoistway 1 by a counterweight rail bracket.

[0016] The car rail bracket is a rail bracket dedicated to the car guide rail 6. The car rail bracket includes a wall-side car rail bracket and a rail-side car rail bracket. The shared rail bracket is a rail bracket shared by both the car guide rail 7 and the counterweight guide rail 8. The shared rail bracket includes a wall-side shared rail bracket and a rail-side shared rail bracket. The counterweight rail bracket is a rail bracket dedicated to the counterweight guide rail 9. The counterweight rail bracket includes a wall-side counterweight rail bracket and a rail-side counterweight rail bracket.

[0017] Hereinafter, in the case where it is not necessary to distinguish between the wall-side car rail brackets and the rail-side car rail brackets, the wall-side common rail brackets and the rail-side common rail brackets, and the wall-side counterweight rail brackets and the rail-side counterweight rail brackets, they may be collectively referred to as wall-side rail brackets and rail-side rail brackets, or simply as wall-side brackets and rail-side brackets for explanation.

[0018] FIG. 3 is a side view showing a configuration example of the counterweight 5 shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a plan view when the weight block 5a is supported by the connector 5z described later as viewed from above (or below). In the illustrated example, a form in which the main rope is directly connected to the upper frame 5c is exemplified, but a form in which the upper frame 5c is provided with a counterweight-side pulley over which the main rope is hung may also be used.

[0019] The counterweight 5 moves up and down along the counterweight guide rails 8 and 9. The counterweight 5 includes, for example, a weight block 5a formed by overlapping a plurality of plate-shaped weight pieces, and a plurality of side frames 5b as an example of a plurality of frames that support the ends of the plurality of weight pieces along the overlapping direction of the plurality of weight pieces from the bottom end of the weight block 5a, and at least one connector 5z that connects the plurality of side frames 5b across the ends of the plurality of weight pieces. In the present embodiment, the overlapping direction of the plurality of weight pieces is referred to as the vertical direction, and the direction along the plane of the plurality of weight pieces is also referred to as the horizontal direction.

[0020] More specifically, the counterweight 5 includes a weight block 5a, an upper frame 5c, side frames 5b, a lower frame 5d, and a connector 5z. As described above, the weight block 5a is formed by overlapping a plurality of plate-shaped weight pieces, and the upper frame 5c is supported by the main rope.

[0021] The lower frame 5d supports the weight block 5a from below. At the end of the lower frame 5d, one end of a plurality of side frames 5b that support the ends of a plurality of weight pieces along the overlapping direction from the bottom end of the weight block 5a as described above is fixed. At the other ends of the plurality of side frames 5b, the ends of the upper frame 5c described above are fixed. The plurality of side frames 5b are supported so as to be parallel, for example, in the direction along the balance weight guide rails 8 and 9.

[0022] The balance weight 5 is lifted and lowered vertically along the balance weight guide rails 8 and 9 by a main rope.

[0023] As described above, the plurality of side frames 5b are provided with a connector 5z that connects along the planar direction of the plurality of weight pieces so as to straddle the ends of the plurality of weight pieces. Specifically, in the side view shown in FIG. 1, the connector 5z is fixed to the plurality of side frames 5b so as to support the weight block 5a across the plurality of side frames 5b. The connector 5z supports the ends of the plurality of weight pieces so that the plurality of weight pieces constituting the weight block 5a do not collapse and fall.

[0024] More specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the connector 5z connects the plurality of side frames 5b so as to surround all the ends of any one of the plurality of weight pieces. The connector 5z is, for example, a thin plate made of metal (or carbon). Examples of the material of the connector 5z include steel.

[0025] In this way, since the connector 5z can be easily attached without lowering the weight block 5a itself, earthquake resistance reinforcement can be performed easily and in a short time without the elevator stopping for a long time.

[0026] FIG. 5 is a side view showing a modified example of the balance weight 5 according to the first modified example of the present embodiment. The balance weight 5 according to the first modified example of the present embodiment includes a plurality of connectors 5z.

[0027] Each connecting member 5z has the same configuration as the above-described connecting member 5z, and is fixed to a plurality of side frames 5b so as to support the ends of a plurality of weight pieces while straddling the plurality of side frames 5b. Specifically, the plurality of connecting members 5z connect the plurality of side frames 5b so as to be parallel to each other along the ends of the plurality of weight pieces.

[0028] FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 are side views showing a modified example of the counterweight 5 according to the second modification of the present embodiment. In the counterweight 5 according to the second modification of the present embodiment, at least one (a plurality in the illustrated example) connecting member 5z supports a plurality of weight pieces along its stacking direction (vertical direction) from its bottom end.

[0029] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the connecting member 5z supports a plurality of weight pieces of the weight block 5a of the counterweight 5 from the bottom surface 5d1 of its bottom end portion (lower frame 5d) to cover the upper end surface 5c1 of the upper frame 5c along its stacking direction (vertical direction). That is, the connecting member 5z supports across the side end portions of the plurality of stacked weight pieces so as to surround the lower frame 5d and the upper frame 5c. By doing so, since the connecting member 5z is directly held by the lower part 5d and the upper frame 5c, even if a plurality of weight pieces are displaced, the displaced weight pieces are supported by the connecting member 5z, so that the displaced weight pieces are less likely to fall off.

[0030] Also, as shown in FIG. 7, the connecting member 5z supports a plurality of weight pieces of the counterweight 5 from the bottom surface 5d1 of its bottom end portion (lower frame 5d) to cover the upper end surfaces of the plurality of stacked weight pieces along its stacking direction (vertical direction). That is, the connecting member 5z supports across the side end portions of the plurality of stacked weight pieces so as to surround the lower frame 5d and the upper end surface of the uppermost weight piece. By doing so, since the connecting member 5z directly supports a plurality of weight pieces, it is possible to make it less likely for the plurality of weight pieces to be displaced from each other than in the support mode shown in FIG. 6.

[0031] 8a to 8c are top views showing examples of the configuration of the locking portion 99 that locks both ends of the connector 5z that come into contact when the connector 5z is wound around multiple weight pieces. In the example shown, the connector 5z on the left side that opens wider as it moves away from the locking piece 99z is attached to the locking portion 99 that is located in the corner space where the weight block 5a is partially cut out to fit the side frame 5b, as shown in FIG.

[0032] The connector 5z shown in FIG. 4 is configured such that both ends of the connector 5z that contact when wrapped around multiple weight pieces are continuous without a break. Instead, the aforementioned locking portions 99 secure both ends of the connector 5z. The locking portions 99 are alternately sandwiched between the multiple locking pieces 99z so that both ends of the connector 5z form a so-called bottleneck. Note that in the examples of FIGS. 8a to 8c, there are gaps between the components to make the structure of each component easier to see, but in reality, adjacent components are in contact with each other without any gaps. The multiple locking pieces 99z are locked by bolts 98 on both sides while sandwiching both ends of the connector 5z. This ensures that both ends of the connector 5z are securely locked without loosening.

[0033] In this embodiment, in addition to the above-described locking configuration, the ends of the connector 5z may be folded so that they overlap (FIG. 8b) or positioned between multiple weight pieces of the weight block 5a (FIG. 8c). Bending the ends of the connector 5z together (the ends of the connector 5z at the upper right in the figure) can improve safety and provide stronger support. In this way, before the multiple weight pieces 5a fall off due to the side frame 5b expanding due to an earthquake or other event, the connector 5z wrapped around the weight pieces 5a and the side frame 5b increases the strength of the side frame 5b, preventing the side frame 5b from expanding, thereby preventing the weight pieces 5a from falling off. Furthermore, providing multiple connectors 5z can further increase strength.

[0034] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a configuration example when viewed from the locking direction of the locking portion 99 by the bolt 98. In the illustrated example, as described above, an example of a state where the coupler 5z is sandwiched so as to be in the form of a gap is shown, and the width W of the coupler 5z is configured to be smaller than the width between the mounting positions of the two bolts 98. In this case, the coupler 5z is not provided with holes at the positions where the respective bolts 98 penetrate, which facilitates the processing of the coupler 5z.

[0035] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a modified example of the configuration of the locking portion 99a that locks both ends of the coupler 5z that come into contact when the coupler 5z is wound around a plurality of weight pieces. In the illustrated example, as described above, an example of a state where the coupler 5z is sandwiched so as to be in the form of a gap is shown, and the width W of the coupler 5z is configured to be larger than the width between the mounting positions of the two bolts 98. In this case, the coupler 5z is provided with holes at the positions where the respective bolts 98 penetrate, but since the coupler 5z is securely fixed by the two locking pieces 99z that come into contact with the coupler 5z, the coupler 5z is configured to be difficult to be broken by the bolt 98 around the holes.

[0036] The end fixing portions of the locking portion 99 in FIGS. 8a to 8c and FIG. 9 can be provided at various locations such as the side frame 5b, the lower frame 5d, and the upper frame 5c of the balance weight 5 in FIGS. 2 to 7 above. At this time, the arrangement can be changed according to the shape of the weight piece 5a and the shapes of the balance weight frames 5b to 5d, and regarding the shape of the locking portion 99, for example, by changing the size of the locking piece 99z, rounding the corners, or chamfering, interference with the equipment or the car 4 in the hoistway can be prevented, but this is not limited to this.

[0037] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a modified example of the elevator according to the present embodiment. In this elevator, unlike the elevator 100 according to the above-described present embodiment, the hoisting machine 3 is provided in the machine room 95 provided in the upper part of the hoistway 1.

[0038] The modified elevator according to this embodiment has a configuration that is almost the same as the elevator 100 according to this embodiment described above, except for the structural difference that arises from the hoisting machine 3 being provided inside the machine room 95, and has a configuration similar to that of the counterweight 5 described above. In this way, it is possible to achieve the same effects as the elevator 100 according to this embodiment described above.

[0039] The elevator counterweight 5 of this embodiment comprises a weight block 5a formed by stacking multiple weight pieces, multiple side frames 5b as an example of multiple side frames that support the ends of the multiple weight pieces from the bottom end of the weight block 5a along the stacking direction of the multiple weight pieces, and at least one connector 5z that connects the multiple side frames 5b across the ends of the multiple weight pieces.

[0040] In this way, even when performing earthquake-resistant reinforcement on an existing counterweight, it is only necessary to attach the connector 5z so that it spans multiple side frames 5b, so large-scale construction work that would stop the elevator 100 for a long period of time is not required, and the earthquake-resistant reinforcement work time can be shortened.

[0041] In this embodiment, the connector 5z connects the side frames 5b along the planar direction of the weight pieces so as to straddle the side frames 5b. In this way, the connector 5z is connected to the side frames 5b, so that the weight pieces are less likely to fall even if they are displaced due to an earthquake.

[0042] In this embodiment, the multiple connectors 5z connect the multiple side frames 5b along the ends of the multiple weight pieces so that they are parallel to each other, which makes it difficult for the multiple weight pieces to shift and fall even in the event of an earthquake.

[0043] In this embodiment, the connector 5z supports the plurality of weight pieces from the bottom end along the stacking direction, so that the connector 5z is arranged in the stacking direction, and therefore, it is possible to prevent any of the plurality of weight pieces from slipping off due to an earthquake.

[0044] In this embodiment, the connector 5z connects a plurality of side frames 5b so as to surround all the end portions of any one of the plurality of weight pieces. By doing so, since the connector 5z is connected by a plurality of side frames 5b so as to surround the side portions of the weight pieces, even if the connector 5z does not have excessive hardness, a plurality of weight pieces can be reliably held.

[0045] In this embodiment, the connector 5z is a thin metal plate. By doing so, the connector can be constituted by using an inexpensive part made of metal with high hardness.

[0046] The counterweight 5 of the elevator according to this embodiment includes locking portions 99 and 99a that lock both end portions of the connector 5z so that both end portions of the connector 5z that come into contact when surrounded by the connector 5z are alternately sandwiched by a plurality of locking pieces 99z. By doing so, a plurality of weight pieces can be supported more reliably, and stronger earthquake-resistant reinforcement can be performed.

[0047] Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and includes various modifications and equivalent configurations within the scope of the appended claims. For example, the above-described embodiment has been described in detail for easy understanding of the present invention, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to the one having all the configurations described. Also, each element described in parallel in this embodiment may be in a mode in which at least one of the elements is connected in series to another element.

Industrial Applicability

[0048] The present invention can be applied to an elevator, for example, to a technology for performing earthquake-resistant reinforcement.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0049] 1...hoistway, 3...hoisting machine, 4...car, 5...counterweight, 5a...weight block, 5b...side frame, 5z...connector, 6, 7...car guide rail, 8, 9...counterweight guide rail, 99...locking portion, 99a...locking portion, 99z...locking piece, 100...elevator

Claims

1. A weight block formed by overlapping a plurality of weight pieces, a plurality of frames that support the ends of the plurality of weight pieces along the overlapping direction of the plurality of weight pieces from the bottom end of the weight block, at least one connector that connects the plurality of frames across the ends of the plurality of weight pieces, and a counterweight characterized by comprising the above.

2. A locking portion for locking both ends of the connector is provided in a manner of a gap such that both ends of the connector that come into contact when surrounded by the connector are alternately sandwiched by a plurality of locking pieces. The counterweight according to claim 1, characterized by the above.

3. The connector is connecting the plurality of frames along the planar direction of the plurality of weight pieces so as to straddle the plurality of frames. The counterweight according to claim 1, characterized by the above.

4. A plurality of the connectors are connecting the plurality of frames so as to be parallel to each other along the ends of the plurality of weight pieces. The counterweight according to claim 1, characterized by the above.

5. The connector is supporting the plurality of weight pieces along the overlapping direction from the bottom end. The counterweight according to claim 1, characterized by the above.

6. The connector is connecting the plurality of frames so as to surround all the ends of any one of the plurality of weight pieces. The counterweight according to claim 1, characterized by the above.

7. The connector is a thin metal plate. The counterweight according to claim 6, characterized by the above.

8. An elevator characterized by comprising the counterweight according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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