Rail holding device

Abstract

To provide a rail holding device which is easily attached to / detached from a rail.SOLUTION: A rail holding device 100 comprises a hook part 103 contacting with the one end part of a rail leg part 4 in the width direction, a telescopic part 102 in one end part of which the hook part 103 is provided in the longitudinal direction and provided so that it can move forward and backward in the longitudinal direction, a hook driving part 104 which changes the position of the hook pat 103 in the longitudinal direction by moving the telescopic part 102 forward and backward and rotates the hook part 103 around the longitudinal direction, a rail facing-up and flattening part 107 having a first contact face 107a located on the opposite side to one end part 4c side of the rail leg part 4 and facing the side face 2b of the rail head part 2 and having a second contact face 107b facing the top face 2c of the rail head part 2 among two side faces 2a, 2b of the rai head part 2, and a rotation mechanism 109 to rotate the rail facing-up and flattening part 107.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a device for automatically or semi-automatically positioning an elevator rail when installing the rail in a hoistway, and more particularly to a rail gripping device for gripping a rail. [Background technology]

[0002] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2021-46303 (Patent Document 1) describes an elevator rail positioning device that includes a gripping section that surrounds the rail, an intermediate member with gripping sections at both ends, and a front gripping section that grips the front of the rail, a rear gripping section that grips the rear of the rail, and a front-to-rear linear actuator that varies the distance between the front gripping section and the rear gripping section (see Abstract). After removing and disassembling the gripping section, the fasteners are removed and the various sections of the gripping section are positioned to surround the rail, and the gripping section is assembled to complete installation of the rail positioning device. The gripping section remains in a state surrounding the rail until all rail positioning is complete (paragraph 0020). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-46303 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the rail positioning device of Patent Document 1, the gripping parts are not easily attached to or detached from the rail, and the gripping parts are kept surrounding the rail until all rail positioning is complete. In this case, the installation location of the rail positioning device is restricted to the position of the rail until all rail positioning is complete, which creates an issue in that the rail positioning device gets in the way when performing tasks other than rail positioning work.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a rail gripping device that can be easily attached to and detached from a rail. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the rail gripping device of the present invention comprises: a hook portion that contacts one end of the rail leg portion in the width direction; an extendable portion provided with the hook portion at one end in the longitudinal direction and capable of moving forward and backward in the longitudinal direction; a hook driving unit that moves the extension / contraction unit forward and backward to change the position of the hook unit in the longitudinal direction and rotates the hook unit around the longitudinal direction; a rail facing portion having a first contact surface facing the side surface of the rail head portion and a second contact surface facing the top surface of the rail head portion, the first contact surface being located on the side opposite to the one end of the rail leg portion, of the two side surfaces of the rail head portion; a rotation mechanism that rotates the rail facing portion; Equipped with The first contact surface and the second contact surface are brought into contact with the side surface and the top surface of the rail head, respectively, and the one end of the rail leg is supported by the hook portion to grip the rail having the rail head and the rail leg. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a rail gripping device that can be easily attached to and detached from a rail. Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a top view of the rails installed in the elevator shaft. [Figure 2] 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a rail gripping device according to one embodiment (embodiment 1) of the present invention. [Figure 3]3 is a diagram showing a state in which a rail is gripped by the rail gripping device shown in FIG. 2.

[0023] FIG. [Figure 4] 3A and 3B are diagrams showing states before and after gripping of the rail by the rail gripping device shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 5] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a series of steps of the rail gripping operation by the rail gripping device shown in FIG. 2, divided into seven steps. [Figure 6] 1 is a diagram showing a configuration in which a rail gripping device according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached to a rail positioning device. [Figure 7] 1 is a diagram showing a configuration in which a rail gripping device according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached to the end of a multi-joint robot arm. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] At elevator installation sites, labor-saving and workability improvements are required. Rail installation is a time-consuming and labor-intensive task, requiring repeated installation for each floor. Elevator rails are located on both sides of the elevator car, and the car ascends and descends along these rails. Typically, individual rails are 3 to 5 meters long. They are lifted one by one into the elevator shaft, connected together starting from the lowest floor, and then secured to the elevator shaft wall or steel frame with brackets to ensure the connected rails are vertical. Because rail installation determines the ride comfort of elevators, workers must possess high-precision rail positioning skills. To reduce the workload of skilled workers and address the shortage of skilled workers, automated or semi-automated rail positioning systems are being considered.

[0010] A rail gripping device according to the present invention, suitable for use in an automated or semi-automated rail positioning system, will be described below with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, identical or similar components are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted. Furthermore, the various components of the present invention do not necessarily have to be independent entities. It is acceptable for one component to be made up of multiple parts, for multiple components to be made up of one part, for one component to be part of another, or for part of one component to overlap with part of another.

[0011] First, the name of an elevator rail 1 will be defined with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a top view of the rail 1 installed in a hoistway, as seen from above.

[0012] The rail 1 has a T-shape where a rail leg 4 and a rail body 3 having a rail head 2 intersect perpendicularly. The rail head 2 is the part that comes into contact with the rollers or sliding parts of the elevator car. The rail leg 4 is the part that connects to a bracket attached to the hoistway. The rail body 3 is the part that connects the rail head 2 to the rail foot 4. One end face 4a of the rail leg 4 faces the hoistway wall, and the rail body 3 stands vertically from the other end face 4b. The rail head 2 is connected to the end of the rail body 3 opposite the rail foot 4 side. The rail head 2 has two side faces 2a, 2b and a top face 2c that connects the two side faces 2a, 2b on the opposite side to the rail body 3 side.

[0013] The direction perpendicular to the length direction of the rail 1 (the direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper in Figure 1) and parallel to one end face 4a of the rail leg 4 is called the width direction of the rail 1, and the width dimension of the rail 1 is designated W1. The width dimension of the rail leg 4 is designated W4, the width dimension of the rail head 2 is designated W2, and the width dimension of the rail body 3 is designated W3. The width dimension W4 of the rail leg 4 is larger than the width dimension W2 of the rail head 2 and the width dimension W3 of the rail body 3, and is designated as the width dimension W1 of the rail 1. The width dimension W2 of the rail head 2 is larger than the width dimension W3 of the rail body 3. In the top view of Figure 1 and in a cross section perpendicular to the length direction, the rail 1 forms a constricted shape at the rail body 3.

[0014] Next, the basic configuration of a rail holding device 100 of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 2 and 3. Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a rail holding device 100 according to one embodiment (Example 1) of the present invention. Figure 3 is a view showing a state in which a rail 1 is held by the rail holding device 100 shown in Figure 2.

[0015] The rail gripping device 100 includes a body portion 101 , an extension portion 102 , a hook portion 103 , a hook driving portion 104 , and a rail facing portion 107 .

[0016] The extension / contraction section 102 is attached to the body section 101 and extends / contracts in the longitudinal direction of the body section 101. The extension / contraction section 102 has a hook section 103 at one end in the longitudinal direction, and is provided so as to be able to move forward and backward in the longitudinal direction.

[0017] The hook portion 103 is attached to one end of the extendable portion 102 and hooked onto one end 4c of the rail leg 4 in the width direction. That is, the hook portion 103 is hooked onto one end 4c of the rail leg 4 in the width direction of the rail 1 and comes into contact with the one end 4c of the rail leg 4. For this purpose, the hook portion 103 has a body portion 103b and a hook portion 103a that hooks onto the one end 4c of the rail leg 4. The hook portion 103a is continuous with the body portion 103b and is formed integrally with the body portion 103b. The hook portion 103a is provided at an angle to the body portion 103b.

[0018] That is, the hook portion 103 has a body portion 103b and a hook portion 103a formed integrally with the hook body portion 103b, and the hook portion 103a has contact surfaces 103aa and 103ab that come into contact with one end portion 4c of the rail leg portion 4. In addition, the contact surfaces 103aa and 103ab of the hook portion 103a are formed obliquely with respect to the body portion 103b.

[0019] The hook driving unit 104 drives the telescopic unit 102. That is, the hook driving unit 104 extends and retracts the telescopic unit 102 to change the position of the hook portion 103 in the telescopic direction of the telescopic unit 102, and also rotates the hook portion 103. In other words, the hook driving unit 104 advances and retracts the telescopic unit 102 to change the position of the hook portion 103 in the longitudinal direction of the telescopic unit 102, and also rotates the hook portion 103 around the longitudinal direction of the telescopic unit 102. In this case, the hook driving unit 104 advances and retracts the telescopic unit 102 relative to the body unit 101, and also rotates the hook portion 103.

[0020] The hook portion 103 is preferably configured to rotate relative to the body portion 101 when the telescopic portion 102 moves forward and backward. For this purpose, the hook driving portion 104 has a mechanism that rotates the telescopic portion 102 while moving it forward or backward at the same time. For example, a ball screw or the like can be used as such a mechanism.

[0021] The rail facing portion 107 has a first contact surface 107a facing one of the two side surfaces 2a, 2b of the rail head portion 2, the side surface 2b, and a second contact surface 107b facing the top surface 2c of the rail head portion 2. In this case, the first contact surface 107a faces the side surface 2b of the rail head portion 2, which is located on the opposite side from the end portion 4c in the width direction of the rail leg portion 4 to which the hook portion 103 is hooked. When the rail gripping device 100 grips the rail 1, the first contact surface 107a contacts the side surface 2b of the rail head portion 2, and the second contact surface 107b contacts the top surface 2c of the rail head portion 2.

[0022] The connecting portion 108 connects the rail surface contact portion 107 to the body portion 101. The connecting portion 108 has a rotation mechanism 109 that rotates the rail surface contact portion 107 and changes the angle of the rail surface contact portion 107 relative to the body portion 101.

[0023] The rail gripping device 100 grips the rail 1 having the rail head 2 and the rail leg 4 by bringing the first contact surface 107a and the second contact surface 107b into contact with the side surface 2b and the top surface 2c of the rail head 2, respectively, and supporting one end 4c of the rail leg 4 with the hook portion 103.

[0024] Here, the movement of the hook portion 103 will be further explained with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the state before and after the rail is gripped by the rail gripping device 100 shown in Fig. 2.

[0025] Before gripping the rail, the telescopic section 102 is extended and the hook section 103 is positioned so that the alignment direction D1 of the hook section 103a and the body section 103b is along the length direction of the rail 1. In this case, the hook section 103a faces downward or upward. When gripping the rail, the telescopic section 102 is retracted and the hook section 103 is rotated to a position where the alignment direction D1 of the hook section 103a and the body section 103b is horizontal.

[0026] Next, a series of steps in the rail gripping operation using the rail gripping device 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a diagram for explaining the series of steps in the rail gripping operation using the rail gripping device 100 shown in Fig. 2, divided into seven steps.

[0027] In the initial state, the rail 1 and the rail gripping device 100 are spaced apart. The head 2 of the rail 1 is tilted relative to the rail surface-finishing portion 107 of the rail gripping device 100 (Step 1). First, the rail gripping device 100 or the lifted rail 1 is operated to move closer to the rail gripping device 100 until the rail gripping device 100 is positioned so that it can grip the rail 1 (Step 2). Next, the connection portion 108 of the rail gripping device 100 is rotated until the hook portion 103 is in a position where it can contact the leg portion 4 of the rail 1 (Step 3). Next, the hook portion 103 is retracted and rotated (Steps 4 and 5). As the hook portion 103 is retracted, the leg portion 4 of the rail 1 gradually engages the hook portion 103a of the hook portion 103, and the head 2 of the rail 1 comes into contact with the rail surface-finishing portion 107 (Step 6). When the hook portion 103 is pulled in all the way, the two surfaces 2b and 2c (see FIG. 3) of the head portion 2 of the rail 1 come into complete contact with the two surfaces 107a and 107b (see FIG. 3) of the rail facing portion 107, thereby facing the rail 1 relative to the rail holding device 100. As a result, the rail 1 is held by the hook portion 103a of the rail holding device 100 at a diagonal angle to the rail facing portion 107 (Step 7).

[0028] In this case, it is preferable that the two surfaces 103aaa and 103ab (see FIG. 3) of the hook portion 103a contact the two surfaces 4ca and 4a (see FIG. 3) of the leg portion 4 between the hook portion 103 of the hook part 103 and the leg portion 4 of the rail 1. For this purpose, the hook portion 103a has two curved surfaces 103aa and 103ab, and preferably the two curved surfaces 103aa and 103ab form a hook shape bent at a right angle. In addition, the two surfaces 4ca and 4a of the leg portion 4 are constituted by the end surface 4a and a side surface portion 4ca at one end 4c of the rail leg portion 4.

[0029] As one application example of the rail gripping device 100, a configuration in which the rail gripping device 100 is attached to a rail positioning device 200 will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration in which the rail gripping device 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention is attached to the rail positioning device 200.

[0030] The automatic rail installation device 400 is made up of a rail positioning device 200 and a rail fixing device 300. Multiple 3- to 5-m-long rails 1 are connected in a hoistway 10, and the linked rails are fixed at their bottoms to a pit base 13 and suspended at their tops by wires 14. After being positioned, the lower rail 1 is attached to the wall surface 10a of the hoistway 10 via a bracket 20. A winder rope 16 extending from a winder 15 attached to a hanging beam 12 is connected to a sling 17 on a work platform 18, and as the winder rope 16 is wound up, the automatic rail installation device 400 moves up and down along the rails 1.

[0031] The rail fixing device 300 comprises an articulated robot arm 301 and an end effector 302 used for operations such as drilling and bolt tightening. In addition, a tool stand 303 on which bolts and replacement tools are placed is provided on the work floor 18. The rail positioning device 200 comprises a rail gauge 202 that determines the distance between the rails 1, rail gripping devices 100 attached to both ends of the rail gauge 202, a position detection unit 201 that detects the position of a laser beam emitted from a reference laser 205 attached to the pit base 13, and a rail position adjustment unit 203 that adjusts the position of the gripped rail.

[0032] The rail position adjustment unit 203 uses the reference laser 205 and the position detection unit 201 to detect the position of the rail 1A held by the rail holding device 100, and uses the rail position adjustment unit 203 to position the rail 1A held by the rail holding device 100 at a fixed position. In this case, instead of the reference laser 205, a piano wire may be used to detect the position of the rail 1A held by the rail holding device 100.

[0033] The rail gripping devices 100 operate as described in Figure 5 to grip the rail 1. When the rail 1 is gripped by the rail gripping devices 100 on both ends of the rail gauge 202, it becomes possible to determine the rail distance and the degree of opposition (parallelism of the rails) between the left and right rails 1.

[0034] As one application example of the rail gripping device 100, a configuration in which the rail gripping device 100 is attached to the end of a multi-joint robot arm 501 will be described with reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration in which the rail gripping device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached to the end of a multi-joint robot arm 501. Fig. 7 is a view of the elevator shaft 10 (see Fig. 5) as seen from above.

[0035] A robot arm 501 is installed on a robot base 500. A camera 502 for visually recognizing a rail 1A and a rail gripping device 100 are provided at the tip of the robot arm 501. A rail positioning device (rail gripping robot) 600 can be configured using this robot arm 501. The rail positioning device 600 is installed on the work floor 18 shown in FIG. 6.

[0036] The rail positioning device 600 uses the camera 502 to detect the position and orientation of the rail 1A lifted by the wire 14, then grips the rail 1A with the rail gripping device 100 and automatically moves the rail 1A to directly above the fixed rail 1B. The operation of the rail gripping device 100 is as described in Figure 5.

[0037] 6 and position detector 201, and uses robot arm 501 to position rail 1A held by rail holding device 100 directly above fixed rail 1B. In this case, instead of reference laser 205, piano wire may be used to detect the position of rail 1A held by rail holding device 100.

[0038] That is, the rail positioning device 600 of this embodiment is equipped with a camera 502 that visually recognizes the rail 1A. Furthermore, the rail gripping device 100 described above is attached to the end of an articulated robot arm 501 as a rail gripping device. The rail positioning device 600 visually recognizes the rail 1A using the camera 502, and automatically positions the rail gripping device 100 on the rail 1A. Furthermore, the rail positioning device 600 automatically moves the gripped rail 1A to directly above the fixed rail 1B.

[0039] According to the rail gripping device 100 of the present invention described above, the opening A (see FIG. 4) can be made large when gripping a rail, making it easier to pick up the rail 1 (1A) and to attach and detach the rail 1 (1A). This alleviates restrictions on the installation location of the rail positioning device 200 that has the rail gripping device 100. Furthermore, when gripping a rail, by gripping the rail 1 (1A) at a diagonal between the head 2 and the foot 4, the rail 1 (1A) is surfaced, and it becomes possible to grip the rail 1 (1A) in a predetermined orientation.

[0040] The rail gripping device 100, rail positioning device 200 and rail gripping robot 600 according to the present invention have the following features. (1) a hook portion 103 that contacts one end of the rail leg portion 4 in the width direction; a stretchable portion 102 provided with a hook portion 103 at one end in the longitudinal direction and capable of moving forward and backward in the longitudinal direction; a hook driving unit 104 that moves the extension / contraction unit 102 forward and backward to change the position of the hook unit 103 in the longitudinal direction and rotates the hook unit 103 around the longitudinal direction; a rail facing portion 107 having a first contact surface 107a facing the side surface 2b of the rail head portion 2, and a second contact surface 107b facing the top surface 2c of the rail head portion 2, the first contact surface 107a being located on the side opposite to the end 4c of the rail leg portion 4, of the two side surfaces 2a, 2b of the rail head portion 2; a rotation mechanism 109 that rotates the rail surface facing portion 107; Equipped with The first contact surface 107a and the second contact surface 107b are brought into contact with the side surface 2b and the top surface 2c of the rail head 2, respectively, and one end 4c of the rail leg 4 is supported by the hook portion 103, thereby gripping the rail 1 having the rail head 2 and the rail leg 4.

[0041] (2) A body portion 101 to which an extension portion 102 is attached; The hook driving unit 104 moves the extension unit 102 forward and backward relative to the body unit 101, and rotates the hook unit 103. The rotation mechanism 109 rotates the rail surface projection part 107 to change the angle of the rail surface projection part 107 relative to the body part 101 .

[0042] (3) The hook portion 103 has a body portion 103b and a hook portion 103a that is integrally formed with the body portion 101. The hook portion 103a has contact surfaces 103aa and 103ab that come into contact with one end 4c of the rail leg portion 4, The contact surfaces 103aa and 103ab of the hook portion 103a are configured to be oblique with respect to the body portion 101.

[0043] (4) The hook portion 103 rotates relative to the body portion 101 when the telescopic portion 102 moves forward and backward.

[0044] (5) A rail positioning device 200 equipped with a rail gripping device, The rail gripping device includes the rail gripping device 100 described in any one of (1) to (4).

[0045] (6) A rail gauge 202 is provided with a rail gripping device 100 at both ends, The rail gauge 202 is configured to determine the distance and parallelism between the left and right rails 1 when the rails 1 are gripped by the rail gripping devices 100 at both ends.

[0046] (7) A rail gripping robot 600 equipped with a rail gripping device, equipped with a camera 502 for viewing the rails, As the rail gripping device, the rail gripping device 100 described in any one of (1) to (4) is attached to the end of a multi-joint robot arm 501, The camera 502 is used to visually recognize the rail 1A, and the rail gripping device 100 is automatically positioned on the rail 1A.

[0047] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and includes various modifications. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to those including all of the configurations. Furthermore, it is possible to replace part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, or to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. Furthermore, it is possible to add, delete, or replace part of the configuration of each embodiment with other configurations. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 1...rail, 2...rail head, 3...rail body, 4...rail leg, 10...hoistway, 10a...wall, 12...lifting beam, 13...pit base, 14...wire, 15...winder, 16...winder rope, 17...sling, 18...work floor, 19...rail positioning device base, 20...bracket, 1B...fixed rail, 1A...lifted rail, 100...rail gripping device, 101...body, 102...extension part, 103...hook part, 103a...hook part, 103aa, 103ab...contacting one end 4c of rail leg 4 Contact surface, 103b...body portion, 104...hook drive portion, 107...rail surface alignment portion, 107a...first contact surface, 107b...second contact surface, 108...connection portion, 200...rail positioning device, 201...position detection portion, 202...rail gauge, 203...rail position adjustment portion, 204...wall surface contact portion, 205...reference laser, 300...rail fixing device, 301...robot arm, 302...end effector, 303...tool base, 400...automatic rail installation device, 500...robot base, 501...robot arm, 502...camera.

Claims

1. a hook portion that contacts one end of the rail leg portion in the width direction; an extendable portion provided with the hook portion at one end in the longitudinal direction and capable of moving forward and backward in the longitudinal direction; a hook driving unit that moves the extension / contraction unit forward and backward to change the position of the hook unit in the longitudinal direction and rotates the hook unit around the longitudinal direction; a rail facing portion having a first contact surface facing the side surface of the rail head portion and a second contact surface facing the top surface of the rail head portion, the first contact surface being located on the side opposite to the one end of the rail leg portion, of the two side surfaces of the rail head portion; a rotation mechanism that rotates the rail facing portion; Equipped with A rail gripping device that grips a rail having the rail head and the rail foot by bringing the first contact surface and the second contact surface into contact with the side surface and the top surface of the rail head, respectively, and supporting the one end of the rail leg with the hook portion.

2. In claim 1, a body portion to which the stretchable portion is attached, The hook driving unit moves the telescopic unit forward and backward relative to the body unit, and rotates the hook unit, The rotation mechanism is a rail gripping device that rotates the rail surface projection portion to change the angle of the rail surface projection portion relative to the body portion.

3. In claim 1, The hook portion has a body portion and a hook portion integrally formed with the body portion, the hook portion has a contact surface that comes into contact with the one end of the rail leg portion, A rail gripping device in which the contact surface of the hook portion is configured at an angle with respect to the body portion.

4. In claim 2, A rail gripping device in which the hook portion rotates relative to the body portion when the telescopic portion moves forward and backward.

5. A rail positioning device equipped with a rail gripping device, A rail positioning device comprising the rail gripping device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 as the rail gripping device.

6. In claim 5, a rail gauge having the rail gripping device at both ends; The rail gauge is a rail positioning device configured to determine the distance and parallelism between the left and right rails when the rail is gripped by the rail gripping devices at both ends.

7. A rail gripping robot equipped with a rail gripping device, Equipped with a camera that can see the rails, The rail gripping device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 is attached to a hand of an articulated robot arm, A rail gripping robot that uses the camera to visually identify the rail and automatically positions the rail gripping device on the rail.

Images