Safety fence unit for elevator and safety fence for elevator

Abstract

To provide a safety fence unit for an elevator capable of reducing deterioration of riding comfort in a cage as much as possible.SOLUTION: This safety fence unit 1000 is used in work on a cage of an elevator for carrying a passenger in the cage by lifting a car frame 48 for supporting the cage inside. The elevator includes at least two support columns 1100, 1200, and 1300, guide members 1108, 1208, and 1308 that guide the support columns 1100, 1200, and 1300, respectively, so as to be displaceable in a vertical direction, and a cross rail 1400 that is bridged between upper end portions of the support columns 1100, 1200, and 1300, the guide members 1108, 1208, and 1308 are attached to a car frame 48, and the elevator is used in a state where the support columns 1100, 1200, and 1300 are pulled up together with the cross rail 1400 at the time of use from a storage state where the cross rail 1400 is positioned in the vicinity of an upper portion of the cage.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an elevator safety fence unit and an elevator safety fence, and more particularly to an elevator safety fence unit used on an elevator car. [Background technology]

[0002] Safety fences are installed above elevator cars to ensure the safety of maintenance workers (hereinafter simply referred to as "workers") when working on the car. Safety fences generally consist of three safety fence units. These three safety fence units surround the car on three sides, excluding the area above the car door. The area above the car door is open so that workers can enter the car through the open landing door.

[0003] In addition, in the case of elevators with so-called two-way through entrances and exits, safety fence units are installed along the two left and right sides of the car, excluding the areas above both car doors.

[0004] Each safety fence unit generally has at least two posts and two horizontal bars that span the posts horizontally, spaced apart in the vertical direction. Hereinafter, the upper of the two horizontal bars will be referred to as the "upper bar" and the lower bar as the "middle bar."

[0005] In buildings where so-called machine-room-less elevators are installed, there is a demand for shorter overhead dimensions to reduce the building height. The overhead is the vertical distance from the floor of the highest floor to the top of the elevator shaft.

[0006] Safety fences that can accommodate shorter overhead dimensions are disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2. The safety fence unit of Patent Document 1 has a pair of legs 10a (supports) that are stored in a space 6 formed between an inner wall 4 and an outer wall 5 that form a passenger car 1 (paragraph

[0010] , Figures 1 and 2 of Patent Document 1). The legs 10a are guided in their vertical sliding movement by a guide frame 14 attached to the inner wall 1 of the passenger car 1 (paragraph

[0016] , Figures 2 and 3 of Patent Document 1).

[0007] When in use, the handrail 3 (upper rail) and cross rail 10b (middle rail) spanning between the pair of legs 10a are pulled up, and when not in use (when the elevator is operating normally), the handrail 3 and cross rail 10b are stacked together and the cross rail 10b is pulled down until it is positioned above the canopy 2 of the elevator car 1 (paragraphs

[0018] ,

[0019] , and Figure 8 of Patent Document 1).

[0008] The third embodiment of Patent Document 2 (paragraph

[0033] and Figure 5 of Patent Document 2) describes a safety fence unit that does not have a center rail, but in which a pair of cylindrical bodies 21 are fixed to the side surfaces of the car 4 with fixing brackets 40, and a pair of legs 20a (supports) are inserted into the cylindrical bodies 21. When in use, the handrail 20 is pulled up, and when not in use (during normal elevator operation), it is pulled down to near the top surface of the car 4.

[0009] According to the safety fence units of Patent Documents 1 and 2, when not in use (during normal elevator operation), the upper rails (the handrails 3 and 20) are configured to be pulled down to near the top of the elevator car.This allows the height of the safety fence as a protrusion from the top of the elevator car to be lowered during normal operation, thereby reducing the overhead dimensions compared to safety fence units fixed to the top of the elevator car. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0010] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-196572 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-143125 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0011] However, in Patent Document 1, the guide frame 14 that guides the support pillar (leg portion 10a) to slide freely is fixed to the inner wall 1 of the car 1, while in Patent Document 2, the cylindrical body 21 that guides the support pillar (leg portion 20a) to slide freely is fixed to the side of the car 4 by a fixing bracket 40. Therefore, during normal operation, vibrations generated in the support pillar propagate into the car interior via the guide frame 14 and inner wall 1 in Patent Document 1, and via the cylindrical body 21 and fixing bracket 40 in Patent Document 2, resulting in a problem of a deterioration in ride comfort.

[0012] In view of the above problems, the present invention aims to provide an elevator safety fence unit that can reduce overhead dimensions and minimize deterioration of ride comfort as much as possible, and an elevator safety fence composed of said elevator safety fence unit. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] In order to achieve the above object, the elevator safety fence unit according to the present invention is characterized by having the following configurations (i) to (v).

[0014] (i) An elevator safety fence unit used when working above the car of an elevator that transports passengers in the car by raising and lowering the car frame that supports the car on the inside, the unit comprising at least two support pillars, guide members that guide each of the two support pillars so that they can be displaced in the vertical direction, and a cross bar that is suspended between the upper ends of the two support pillars, the guide members being attached to the car frame, and the cross bar being positioned near the top of the car in a stored state, and when in use, the two support pillars are raised together with the cross bar.

[0015] (ii) In contrast to (i) above, the car frame includes an upper frame, a lower frame, a pair of vertical frames connecting both ends of the upper frame and the lower frame, and a support member attached to the upper frame so as to cross the upper frame in a direction along one upper side of the car chamber, and the guide member is attached to the support member.

[0016] (iii) In contrast to (ii) above, the elevator is an elevator in which a guide device provided at the upper end portion of the vertical frame is guided by a guide rail laid in the vertical direction to rise and fall, and in the stored state, the cross bar is formed in a shape that avoids interference with the guide device.

[0017] (iv) In contrast to (i) above, a tangle prevention guard is provided to prevent the main rope for raising and lowering the car frame from becoming tangled in the support pole in the stored state.

[0018] (v) In contrast to (i) above, the guide member is made of a cylindrical body, the support post is made of a pipe inserted into the cylindrical body, and a pressing member is inserted into the pipe from the cylindrical body through a through-hole that is opened on each side of the cylindrical body and the pipe, and the tip of the pressing member presses the inner surface of the pipe against the inner surface of the cylindrical body, thereby restricting downward displacement of the pipe and having a stopper that maintains the support post in a pulled-up state during use.

[0019] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the elevator safety fence of the present invention is characterized in that the elevator is an elevator in which a car door is provided on at least one side of the rectangular box-shaped car chamber, and an elevator safety fence unit described in any one of (i) to (v) above is attached to the portions of the car frame corresponding to each of the upper edges of two sides other than the one side and the side opposite to that one side.

[0020] Furthermore, the elevator safety fence unit described in (i) or (v) above is attached to the portion of the car frame corresponding to the upper edge of the side surface opposite to the one side surface. [Effects of the Invention]

[0021] According to the elevator safety fence unit of the present invention having the above-mentioned configuration, the cross bar spanning between the upper ends of the two pillars is positioned near the car chamber when stored, thereby enabling the overhead dimensions to be reduced.

[0022] Additionally, a guide member that guides the support pillar so that it can be displaced in the vertical direction is attached to the car frame. Therefore, compared to conventional safety fence units in which the guide frame 14 is fixed to the inner wall 1 of the passenger car 1 as in Patent Document 1, or the cylindrical body 21 is fixed to the side of the car 4 by a fixing bracket 40 as in Patent Document 2, vibrations generated by the support pillar are less likely to propagate to the car room, thereby minimizing deterioration of ride comfort as much as possible.

[0023] The elevator safety fence of the present invention is formed by attaching a safety fence unit having the above-mentioned configuration to the above-mentioned car frame portion, and therefore achieves the same effects as those of the elevator safety fence unit described above. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0024] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing the schematic configuration of a machine room-less elevator in which an elevator safety fence according to an embodiment is installed. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the schematic configuration of a car frame that supports a car on the inside and a safety fence provided on the car frame in the machine room elevator. [Figure 3] 1(a) is a side view showing the safety fence in use, and FIG. 1(b) is an enlarged view of part K in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 1(a) is a side view showing the safety fence in a stored state, and FIG. 1(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line E-E in FIG. [Figure 5]FIG. 1(a) is a perspective view of a guide member, and FIG. 1(b) is a perspective view of the guide member viewed from a different direction from that of FIG. [Figure 6] 3(a) is a cross-sectional view taken along line F-F in FIG. 3(a), and FIG. 3(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line G-G in FIG. 3(a), showing the state in which the stopper restricts the vertical displacement of the support pillar. [Figure 7] 6(a) and 6(b) are cross-sectional views taken at the same positions as in FIG. 6(a) and FIG. 6(b), respectively, showing a state in which the restriction by the stopper has been released. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing a portion of the upper rail and the middle rail. [Figure 9] (a) is an enlarged front view of the part where the support post and the middle crosspiece intersect, and (b) and (c) are cross-sectional views of only the support post and the middle crosspiece in (a) along line H·H, with (a) showing the state when the wing nut is tightened and (c) showing the state when the wing nut is loosened. [Figure 10] (a) is an enlarged view of part M in Figure 4, and (b) is a cross-sectional view of only the support and tangle prevention guard along line N·N in (a). [Figure 11] 10(a) and 10(b) are diagrams showing the state of the safety fence unit in the process of changing from the stored state to the use state, and are respectively drawn in accordance with FIG. 10(a) and FIG. 10(b). [Figure 12] 10(a) and 10(b) are diagrams showing the state of the safety fence unit in the process of changing from the stored state to the use state, and are respectively drawn in accordance with FIG. 10(a) and FIG. 10(b). [Figure 13] 6(b) is an enlarged view of a guide member and its vicinity in a safety fence unit according to Modification 1. FIG. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a side view showing the stored state of the safety fence according to the second modification. [Figure 15] 10(a) is a front view of the tangle prevention guard in Modification 2, and FIG. 10(b) is a plan view of the same. [Figure 16] 14, and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line L-L in (a). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0025] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An elevator safety fence unit and an elevator safety fence according to embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0026] <Elevators eligible for elevator safety fence installation> Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the schematic configuration of a machine room-less elevator in which an elevator safety fence (hereinafter simply referred to as "safety fence") according to an embodiment is provided. Note that in Fig. 1, the safety fence and the car frame supporting the car are not shown.

[0027] The machine-room-less elevator 10 (hereinafter simply referred to as "elevator 10") has a rectangular box-shaped cab 14 with a doorway 12 on one side. The doorway 12 is provided with a central double-hinged car door 16.

[0028] The elevator 10 has a main rope 34 for raising and lowering a car frame 48 (described later) and, ultimately, the car room 14. The main rope 34 is wound around a hoist 18 attached to the car frame 48 (FIG. 2), a first return sheave 22 provided at the top of the hoistway 20, a drive sheave 26 of a hoisting machine 24 provided at the bottom of the hoistway 20, a second return sheave 28 provided at the top of the hoistway 20, and a hoist 32 of a counterweight 30, in this order. A first end 34a of the main rope 34 is attached to an overhead beam 36 provided at the top of the hoistway 20, and a second end 34b is attached to an overhead beam 38 also provided at the top of the hoistway 20. Note that, for convenience, the main rope 34 is depicted by a single solid line in FIG. 1, but in reality, the main rope 34 is made up of multiple ropes.

[0029] Also installed in the elevator shaft 20 are car guide rails 40, 42 that vertically guide a car frame 48 (FIG. 2) described below that supports the car chamber 14, and counterweight guide rails 44, 46 that vertically guide the counterweight 30.

[0030] In elevator 10 configured as described above, when hoisting machine 24 is driven and drive sheave 26 rotates in the direction of arrow A, the portion of main rope 34 extending from first end 34a to first return pulley 22 is pulled up, causing car chamber 14 (car frame 48) to rise, and counterweight 30 to descend due to its own weight, etc. Conversely, when drive sheave 26 rotates in the direction of arrow B, the portion of main rope 34 extending from second return pulley 28 to second end 34b is pulled up, causing counterweight 30 to rise, and car chamber 14 (car frame 48) to descend due to its own weight, etc.

[0031] Here, the upper edges of the four sides of the rectangular box-shaped cab 14 will be referred to as a first edge 14a, a second edge 14b, a third edge 14c, and a fourth edge 14d, as shown in Figure 1. The first edge 14a corresponds to the top of the car door 16. The edge opposite to the first edge 14a is the fourth edge 14d.

[0032] <Basket frame> FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the schematic configuration of a car frame 48 that supports a car chamber 14 (not shown in FIG. 2) from the inside, and a safety fence 100 that is provided on the car frame 48.

[0033] The car frame 48 has an upper frame 50, a lower frame 52, and a pair of vertical frames 54, 56 connecting both ends of the upper frame 50 and the lower frame 52. Upper support members 58, 60 made of shaped steel are joined to both ends of the upper frame 50 in a position perpendicular to the upper frame 50. Lower support members 62, 64 made of shaped steel are joined to both ends of the lower frame 52 in a position perpendicular to the lower frame 52. In addition, a beam 61 made of shaped steel is suspended between one ends of the upper support members 58, 60 as another upper support member. Both ends of the beam 61 are joined to the upper support members 58, 60, respectively.

[0034] That is, each of the upper support members 58, 60 is attached to the upper frame 50 in a direction intersecting with one upper side (second side 14b, third side 14c) of the car 14. Each of the lower support members 62, 64 is attached to the lower frame 52 in a direction intersecting with one lower side of the car 14. In addition, the beam 61 is attached along the fourth side (FIG. 1) of the car 14.

[0035] L-shaped angle members 66, 68 are respectively joined between one end of the upper support members 58, 60 and one end of the lower support members 62, 64. Three vibration-isolating rubber members 70 are installed on the upper surface of each of the lower support members 62, 64 at intervals in the longitudinal direction as vibration-isolating members.

[0036] The car chamber 14 (FIG. 1) is housed inside the car frame 24 having the above-described configuration and is supported by the car frame 24. The car chamber 14 is housed by being placed on a plurality of (six in this example) of the above-described vibration-isolating rubber pads 70. As a result, the vibration-isolating rubber pads 70 block as much as possible the transmission of vibrations generated in the car frame 24 and vibrations transmitted to the car frame 24 to the car chamber 14.

[0037] The car chamber 14 (FIG. 1) is housed inside the car frame 24 in an orientation in which the side on which the beam 61 exists is the back side and the side opposite the beam 61 is the front side (the side on which the car door 16 exists). That is, the car chamber 14 is housed in an orientation in which the second side 14b and the third side 14c shown in FIG. 1 are aligned along the upper support member 58 and the upper support member 60, respectively, and the fourth side 14d is aligned along the beam 61. Furthermore, the upper support member 58 is the second side 14b, the upper support member 60 is the third side 14c, and the beam 61 is the fourth side 14d, which are parts of the car frame 48 corresponding to each other.

[0038] The above-mentioned hoist 18 is attached to the lower support members 62 and 64. In addition, roller guides 72a, 72b, and 74a (the roller guide attached to the lower end of the vertical frame 56 is not shown in the figure) are provided at the upper and lower ends of the vertical frames 54 and 56, respectively, and serve as guide devices for raising and lowering the car frame 48 and, ultimately, the car chamber 14, guided by the car guide rails 40 and 42 (FIG. 1). Note that the guide devices are not limited to roller guides, and guide shoes may also be used.

[0039] <Safety fences, safety fence units> A safety fence 100 is provided to prevent workers working on the car room 14 from falling off the car room 14 during maintenance and inspection.

[0040] The safety fence 100 has three elevator safety fence units 1000, 2000, and 3000 (hereinafter simply referred to as "safety fence units 1000, 2000, and 3000") installed corresponding to each of the three sides (second side 14b, third side 14c, and fourth side 14d) of the four sides at the top of the car chamber 14, excluding the first side 14a above the car door 16.

[0041] 2 shows safety fence unit 1000 and safety fence unit 3000 in use, and safety fence unit 2000 in stored state. Safety fence units 1000, 2000, and 3000 are all attached to car frame 48. More specifically, safety fence unit 1000 is attached to upper support member 58, and safety fence unit 2000 is attached to upper support member 60. Safety fence unit 3000 is attached to beam 61, which is another upper support member.

[0042] When attached to the car frame 48, the safety fence unit 1000 and the safety fence unit 2000 are bilaterally symmetrical when viewed from the first edge 14a of the top of the car chamber 14, and have basically the same configuration. Furthermore, the safety fence unit 1000 and the safety fence unit 3000 have basically the same configuration, except for differences in the number of support posts, the length of the cross bars, and the shape of some of the bars, which will be described later. Therefore, the following explanation will focus on the safety fence unit 1000, and only mention the safety fence unit 2000 and the safety fence unit 3000 as appropriate.

[0043] Fig. 3(a) shows a side view of the safety fence 100 as viewed in the direction of arrow C in Fig. 2. Fig. 3(a) shows the safety fence 100 in use. Fig. 4(a) shows a side view of the safety fence 100 when stored, as viewed in the same direction as Fig. 3(a). Fig. 4(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line E-E in Fig. 4(a).

[0044] The safety fence unit 1000 has three posts 1100, 1200, and 1300. The three posts 1100, 1200, and 1300 are provided along the second side 14b (FIG. 1). An upper crossbeam 1400, which is a horizontal crossbeam, is horizontally extended between the upper ends of the posts 1100, 1200, and 1300. The upper crossbeam 1400 is joined by welding to the upper ends of the posts 1100, 1200, and 1300 (welding marks are not shown).

[0045] Furthermore, a center crosspiece 1500 is bridged between support columns 1100, 1200, and 1300. Center crosspiece 1500 is attached to each of support columns 1100, 1200, and 1300 so as to be slidable in the up and down direction. The configuration that allows this sliding will be described later.

[0046] The three columns 1100, 1200, and 1300 have the same configuration and installation method, but differ only in their installation positions. Therefore, column 1200 will be described as a representative, and the last two digits of the components of column 1100 and column 1300 will be assigned the same reference numerals as the last two digits of the corresponding components of column 1200, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0047] The support pillar 1200 is made of a square pipe. The support pillar 1200 is attached to the upper support member 58 of the car frame 48. Fig. 5(a) shows a perspective view of the attachment portion of the support pillar 1200 to the upper support member 58. Fig. 5(a) shows the safety fence 100 in use. Fig. 5(b) is a perspective view of the attachment portion of the support pillar 1200 to the upper support member 58 when the safety fence 100 is in the stored state, as seen from the opposite side to Fig. 5(a). Fig. 6(a) shows a cross-sectional view taken along line F-F in Fig. 3(a). Fig. 6(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line G-G in Fig. 6(a).

[0048] The short side 1202a of the L-shaped angle member 1202 is fixed to the upper support member 58 with two sets of bolts and nuts 1204 (not shown in FIG. 6). A U-shaped member 1206, made of a channel steel with a U-shaped cross section, is welded to the long side 1202b of the L-shaped angle member 1202 in the position shown in FIG. 5(a). The U-shaped member 1206 and a portion of the long side 1202b form a cylindrical body (a square cylindrical body in this example), into which the support column 1200 is inserted. The support column 1200 is guided by the cylindrical body so that it can slide vertically. In other words, the cylindrical body formed by the U-shaped member 1206 and a portion of the long side 1202b functions as a guide member 1208 that guides the support column 1200 so that it can be displaced vertically. The U-shaped member 1206 has a window 1206a formed by cutting out part of the groove bottom in the width direction.

[0049] A short side 1210a of a bracket 1210 made from an L-shaped angle material is fixed with two bolts 1211 (not shown in FIG. 6) to the surface of the long side 1202b of the L-shaped angle member 1202 opposite the U-shaped member. A bolt hole 1210c is opened in the thickness direction at the tip of the long side 1210b of the bracket 1210.

[0050] A stopper 1212 made of a rectangular steel plate is provided along the lower surface of a long side portion 1210b of the bracket 1210. The stopper 1212 has an elongated hole 1212a formed in the longitudinal direction thereof.

[0051] A bolt 1214 is inserted from below into the elongated hole 1212a and then into the bolt hole 1210c, and a wing nut 1216 is threaded onto the exposed portion of the bolt hole 1210c. When the wing nut 1216 is tightened, the stopper 1212 is fixed to the bracket 1210, and when the wing nut 1216 is loosened, the stopper 1212 is free to slide relative to the bracket 1210 in the length direction of the elongated hole 1212a.

[0052] A slit 1202 c slightly longer than the width of the stopper 1212 is formed in the long side 1202 b of the L-shaped angle member 1202 at a position opposite to the window 1206 a of the U-shaped member 1206 .

[0053] Furthermore, through holes 1200a and 1200b are formed on two opposing side surfaces of the lower end portion of the square cylindrical support 1200, into which the stopper 1212 can be smoothly inserted without any play (FIG. 6(b)).

[0054] 5(a) and 6 show the state after the stopper 1212 has been sequentially inserted into the slit 1202c, the through-hole 1200a, the through-hole 1200b, and the window 1206a. As a result, the vertical displacement of the support pillar 1200 relative to the guide member 1208 and thus the car frame 48 (upper support member 58) is restricted, and the support pillar 1200 is placed in a usable state protruding above the car chamber 14.

[0055] Fig. 7 shows the state in which stopper 1212 has been removed (retracted) from window 1206a, through-hole 1200b, through-hole 1200a, and slit 1202c. Fig. 7(a) and Fig. 7(b) are cross-sectional views taken at the same positions as Fig. 6(a) and Fig. 6(b), respectively.

[0056] 7, the restriction on the support 1200 is released, and the support 1200 is guided by the guide member 1208 and becomes movable up and down. The support 1200, together with the support 1100 and the support 1300, can be moved up and down by manually moving the upper rail 1400 fixed to the upper end of the support 1200 up and down.

[0057] 8 shows a partially enlarged perspective view of the upper rail 1400 and the middle rail 1500 in FIG. 1. The upper rail 1400 includes a first pipe 1410, a second pipe 1420, and a flat bar 1430 that connects the first pipe 1410 and the second pipe 1420. The flat bar 1430 is bent into a U-shape as shown in FIG. 8. The first pipe 1410 and the second pipe 1420 are joined to the flat bar 1430 by a set of bolts and nuts 1440.

[0058] Like the upper rail 1400, the middle rail 1500 includes a first pipe 1510, a second pipe 1520, and a flat bar 1530 that connects the first pipe 1510 and the second pipe 1520. The first pipe 1510 and the second pipe 1520 are joined to the flat bar 1530 by a set of bolts and nuts 1540.

[0059] The reason why the upper sash 1400 and middle sash 1500 are not made from a single straight pipe, but rather are made by inserting a U-shaped flat bar 1430, flat bar 1430 in the middle along their length will be explained later.

[0060] As described above, the upper crosspiece 1400 is joined to the upper end portions of the support columns 1100, 1200, and 1300. In contrast, the middle crosspiece 1500 is provided so as to be switchable between a state in which it is fixed to each of the support columns 1100, 1200, and 1300, and a state in which it is slidable within a predetermined range in the longitudinal direction.

[0061] This switchable configuration will be explained with reference to Figure 9. This configuration is the same for support pillar 1100, support pillar 1200, and support pillar 1300, so here we will explain support pillar 1200 as a representative, and will omit explanations for support pillar 1100 and support pillar 1300.

[0062] Figure 9(a) is an enlarged front view of the portion where the support 1200 and the middle crosspiece 1500 (the first pipe 1510) intersect, and Figures 9(b) and 9(c) are views of only the support 1200 and the first pipe 1510 in Figure 9(a) cut along line H·H, with Figure 9(b) showing the state in which the wing nut 1220 described below has been tightened, and Figure 9(c) showing the state in which the wing nut 1220 has been loosened.

[0063] A long hole 1200c and a long hole 1200d are formed in the longitudinal direction (vertical direction) on each of two opposing surfaces of support 1200, which is made of a square pipe. Also, a first pipe 1510, which is made of a square pipe, has through holes 1510a and 1510b formed in each of two opposing surfaces, each having a diameter equal to the width of long hole 1200c and long hole 1200d.

[0064] The bolt 1218 is inserted through the oblong hole 1200c, the oblong hole 1200d, the through hole 1510a, and the through hole 1510b. 510b, a wing nut 1220 is screwed onto the exposed portion of the first pipe 1510.

[0065] In the above configuration, when the wing nut 1220 is tightened, the middle crosspiece 1200 (first pipe 1510) is fixed to the support 1200 (Figure 9(b)), and when the wing nut 1220 is loosened, the middle crosspiece 1200 (first pipe 1510) becomes slidable in the vertical direction relative to the support 1200 within the full length of the elongated holes 1200c and 1200d (Figure 9(c)).

[0066] As shown in FIG. 3(b), a bolt and nut 1222 is attached to the lower end portion of the support 1200 as a retaining member to prevent it from coming off the guide member 1208. Specifically, bolt holes (not shown) are drilled in each of two opposing side surfaces of the lower end portion of the support 1200, and a bolt 1222a is inserted through one of the bolt holes, and a nut 1222b is screwed onto the threaded portion of the bolt 1222a protruding from the other bolt hole. By tightening the support 1200 with the head of the bolt 1222a and the nut 1222b, the bolt and nut 1222 is fixed to the support 1200, and this functions as the retaining member.

[0067] Next, the movement of the safety fence 100 from the stored state to the usable state will be described, mainly using the safety fence unit 1000 as an example. Fig. 10(a) is an enlarged view of part M in Fig. 4, with the middle part of the support pole 1200 omitted. Fig. 10(b) is a cross-sectional view of Fig. 10(a) along line N-N, showing only the support pole 1200 and the entanglement prevention guard 1600 (first steel band 1602), which will be described later. Figs. 11(a), 11(b), 12(a), and 12(b) are views showing states on the way to the usable state, respectively, and are drawn in accordance with Figs. 10(a) and 10(b).

[0068] In the stored state, the middle rail 1500 abuts against the guide member 1208. The upper rail 1400, which is fixed to the upper end of the support 1200, is lowered until the upper ends of the elongated holes 1200c and 1200d abut against the threaded portions of the bolts 1218. The upper ends of the elongated holes 1200c and 1200d are positioned so that there is a gap between the upper rail 1400 and the middle rail 1500 that is at least large enough to insert a fingertip.

[0069] If the upper and middle crosspieces were constructed from a single straight pipe, as can be seen in FIG. 2, the horizontal crosspieces (upper and middle crosspieces) would interfere with the roller guide 72a and would not be able to descend to the guide member 1208. Therefore, we designed the horizontal crosspieces (upper and middle crosspieces) 1400 and 1500 to avoid interference with the roller guide 72a when stored (in the stored state), i.e., we provided U-shaped flat bars 1430 and 1530 midway along their length. As long as the shape avoids interference with the roller guide 72a, the shape is not limited to a U-shape and can be, for example, a semi-elliptical arc shape. Furthermore, the pipe itself can be bent into a U-shape instead of a flat bar.

[0070] The elevator 10 operates normally when the safety fence 100 is in the retracted state described above. In the retracted state, the majority of the support pillar 1200 protrudes downward from the guide member 1208 (FIG. 4). Therefore, unless some precaution is taken, there is a risk that the main rope 34, which runs up and down nearby, may become entangled in the support pillar 1200 or 1300 when it swings.

[0071] Therefore, a tangle prevention guard 1600 is provided to prevent the main rope 34 from becoming tangled around the support posts 1200 and 1300 in the stored state. A tangle prevention guard 2600 (Fig. 2) is also provided for the safety fence unit 2000, but since it has the same configuration as the tangle prevention guard 1600, the tangle prevention guard 1600 will be described as a representative example, and a description of the tangle prevention guard 2600 will be omitted.

[0072] The tangle prevention guard 1600 is made up of two steel bands (a first steel band 1602 and a second steel band 1604) connected by a bolt and nut 1606. The tangle prevention guard 1600 is in a horizontal position, with one end fixed to the angle member 66 and the other end fixed to the vertical frame 54. The area indicated by the dashed dotted line in Figure 4 is the area where the main rope 34 is not swaying.

[0073] The tangle prevention guard 1600 is interposed between the lower end portions of the supports 1200 and 1300 in the stored state and the main rope 34 portion in the side view (horizontal view) shown in Figure 4, and prevents the main rope 34 from coming into contact with the lower end portions of the supports 1200 and 1300 even if the main rope 34 swings widely toward the lower end portions of the supports 1200 and 1300, thereby preventing the main rope 34 from becoming tangled in the supports 1200 and 1300.

[0074] Between the main rope 34 and the lower end portion of the support pillar 1100, there are interposed the car guide rail 54 and the roller guide 72a (Fig. 2) that is guided by the car guide rail 54. Therefore, the main rope 34 does not swing down to the lower end portion of the support pillar 1100, and therefore there is no need to provide a special tangle prevention guard for the support pillar 1100.

[0075] To change from the stored state to the usable state, first loosen the wing nut 1220. Then, insert your fingertips into the gap between the upper rail 1400 and the middle rail 1500, lift the upper rail slightly, and then grip the upper rail 1400 firmly.

[0076] Then, the upper rail 1400 is lifted up, and the support 1200 to which the upper rail 1400 is fixed also slides upward (FIG. 11).

[0077] Furthermore, when the upper crosspiece 1400 is lifted, the lower ends of the elongated holes 1200c and 1200d formed in the support 1200 come into contact with the bolt 1218, and the middle crosspiece 1500 also rises, displacing upward together with the support 1200 (FIG. 12).

[0078] Then, lift the upper rail 1400 until the through-holes 1200a, 1200b at the lower end of the support 1200 communicate with the slit 1202c of the L-angle member 1202 and the window 1206a of the U-shaped member 1206, insert the stopper 1212 into the communicating hole, and tighten the wing nut 1216. This puts the safety fence unit 1000 into a usable state.

[0079] When adjusting the position of the middle crosspiece 1500 upward, the middle crosspiece 1500 is lifted to the desired position, and the wing nut 1220 is tightened to fix it to the support 1200.

[0080] In the safety fence unit 1000 having the above configuration (the same applies to the safety fence unit 2000 and the safety fence unit 3000), the upper cross bar 1400, which is a cross bar spanning the upper ends of the support columns 1100, 1200, and 1300, is positioned near the car chamber 14 when stored (Figure 4), thereby enabling the overhead dimensions to be reduced.

[0081] Furthermore, in the safety fence unit 1000 (safety fence unit 2000 and safety fence unit 3000 as well), guide members 1108, 1208, and 1308 that guide the support columns 1100, 1200, and 1300, which have upper cross beam 1400 suspended between their upper ends, so that they can be displaced in the vertical direction, are attached to the car frame 48 (upper support member 58 thereof). Therefore, compared to conventional safety fence units in which the guide frame 14 is fixed to the inner wall 1 of the passenger car 1 as in Patent Document 1, or the cylindrical body 21 is fixed to the side of the car 4 by fixing brackets 40 as in Patent Document 2, vibrations generated by the support columns are less likely to propagate to the car room, thereby minimizing deterioration of ride comfort as much as possible.

[0082] (Variation 1) Fig. 13 shows an enlarged view of a guide member and its vicinity in a safety fence unit 4000 according to Modification 1. Fig. 13 is a diagram drawn in accordance with Fig. 6(b). The safety fence unit 4000 has the same configuration as the safety fence unit 1000, except that a slight change has been made to the configuration for restricting downward displacement of the support pole using a stopper during use. Therefore, in Fig. 13, components that are substantially the same as those in the safety fence unit 1000 are given the same reference numerals, and detailed description of these components will be omitted; the following description will focus on the differences.

[0083] The changes made to the safety fence unit 4000 from the safety fence unit 1000 are as follows: In the U-shaped member 4206 of the safety fence unit 4000, the window 1206a (FIGS. 6(b) and 7(b)) has been removed from the U-shaped member 1206 of the safety fence unit 1000, and the through-hole 1200b (FIGS. 6(b) and 7(b)) opened in the support 1200 has been removed.

[0084] With the above configuration, to maintain the state in which the lower end portion of support column 4200 is located at the position of guide member 4208, that is, to maintain the state in which support column 4200 is pulled up during use, proceed as follows: Stopper 1212 is inserted into support column 4200 through slit 1202c of guide member 4208, which communicates with through-hole 4200a of support column 4200, and its tip is pressed against the inner peripheral surface of support column 4200 toward the inner peripheral surface of guide member 4208 (the bottom surface of the groove of U-shaped member 4206), and then wing nut 1216 is tightened.

[0085] As a result, the stopper 1212 functions as a pressing member that presses the inner circumferential surface of the support 1200 against the inner circumferential surface of the guide member 4208, and the support 4200 is maintained in the pulled-up state.

[0086] According to the above-described first modification, in use, the lower end portion of the support pillar 4200 is pressed against the guide member 4208 (U-shaped member 4206), so there is less wobble at the lower end portion of the support pillar relative to the guide member compared to the safety fence unit 1000. This allows the support pillar 4200 to be in a more stable upright state during use, increasing the sense of security for the worker when holding the upper rail (not shown) fixed to the upper end portion of the support pillar 4200.

[0087] (Variation 2) In the above embodiment, in the safety fence unit 1000 (similar to the safety fence unit 2000), one tangle prevention guard 1600 (Figures 2 and 4) was provided in common for the two pillars 1200 and 1300, but in variant example 2, individual tangle prevention guards are provided for each of the two pillars 1200 and 1300.

[0088] Fig. 14 is a side view of the safety fence according to Modification 2 when stored, drawn in imitation of Fig. 4(a). The safety fence unit 5000 according to Modification 2 has the same configuration as the safety fence unit 1000, except for the entanglement prevention guard that is installed alongside it. Therefore, in Fig. 14, components that are substantially the same as or correspond to the components of the safety fence unit 1000 are given the same reference numerals, and detailed explanations of these components will be omitted; the following explanation will focus on the differences.

[0089] In safety fence unit 5000, instead of tangle prevention guard 1600 (FIG. 4) of safety fence unit 1000, tangle prevention guards 5600, 5700 are provided individually on each of support posts 1200, 1300. Since tangle prevention guard 5600 and tangle prevention guard 5700 have the same configuration, tangle prevention guard 5600 will be explained as a representative example, and an explanation of tangle prevention guard 5700 will be omitted.

[0090] Fig. 15(a) shows a front view of the tangle prevention guard 5600, and Fig. 15(b) shows a plan view of the same. The tangle prevention guard 5600 is a long, thin, rectangular metal plate bent into a mountain shape as shown in Fig. 15(b). Two potbelly holes 5602 and 5604 are opened at the top of the mountain.

[0091] Fig. 16(a) shows an enlarged view of the R portion in Fig. 14, and Fig. 16(b) shows a cross section taken along line L-L in Fig. 16(a). In Fig. 16(b), the upper support member 58 (Figs. 1 and 14) in plan view is indicated by a two-dot chain line.

[0092] The tangle prevention guard 5600 is attached to the lower end portion of the support 1200 in place of the bolt and nut 1222 of the above-described embodiment (see, for example, FIGS. 3(b), 11, etc.). Two screw holes (not shown) are drilled in one side of the lower end portion of the support 1200, corresponding to the potbelly holes 5602, 5604. As shown in FIG. 16(b), blind nuts 5606, 5608 are provided in each of the screw holes, respectively. Machine screws 5610, 5612 are threadedly engaged with the blind nuts 5606, 5608, respectively.

[0093] After the heads of the machine screws 5610, 5612, which have been slightly threaded into the blind nuts 5606, 5608, are passed through the circular portions of the potbelly holes 5602, 5604, the shanks of the machine screws 5610, 5612 are abutted against the elongated hole portions of the potbelly holes 5602, 5604. In this state, the machine screws 5610, 5612 are tightened to fix the tangle prevention guard 5600 to the lower end of the support 1200.

[0094] Because the main ropes 34 are considerably long in the vertical direction, even if they swing left and right in Fig. 14 (even if they bend), portions that are very short compared to the overall length of the main ropes 34, such as between the upper support members 58 and the tangle prevention guards 5600, are considered to be substantially straight. Furthermore, when the swaying main ropes 34 come into contact with the upper support members 58, further swinging of the car frame 48 (Fig. 2) inward is suppressed, and the main ropes 34 swing in sliding contact with the upper support members 58 (i.e., along the upper support members 58).

[0095] In addition, the size of the gaps C1, C2 (the horizontal distance between each of the end portions and the upper support member 58) observed in a planar view between the end portions of the tangle prevention guard 5600 and the upper support member 58 is set to be sufficiently smaller than the diameter of each of the multiple ropes that make up the main rope 34.

[0096] Therefore, even if the main rope 34 swings left and right as described above, it will not enter the back side of the tangle prevention guard 5600 (the side where the support 1200 is located), thereby preventing the main rope 34 from getting tangled in the support 1200 as much as possible. In the second modification, the tangle prevention guard 5600 also functions as the above-mentioned retaining member in place of the bolt and nut 1222.

[0097] The present invention has been described above based on the embodiments, but it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the following embodiments may also be used. (1) In the above embodiment, the elevator safety fence according to the present invention has been described as being used in an elevator (FIG. 1) in which a car door 16 is provided on one side of a rectangular box-shaped cab 14. However, the elevator safety fence according to the present invention may also be applied to an elevator with a so-called two-way through entrance / exit specification in which car doors are provided at two locations on opposing sides of a rectangular box-shaped cab. In this case, the elevator safety fence unit is configured by installing one of the above-mentioned elevator safety fence units on two sides (corresponding to second side 14b and third side 14c in FIG. 1) of the cab, excluding the areas above the car doors provided at the two locations.

[0098] In the above embodiment, the counterweight 30 is disposed on the side of the cab 14 opposite the side on which the car door 16 is located (FIG. 1). However, in the case of an elevator with the two-way through-entrance specification, for example, the counterweight may be disposed on one of the left and right sides other than the side corresponding to the above-mentioned two sides. In this case, the two main rope portions extending upward from the hoisting wheel 32 (see FIG. 1) of the counterweight 30 pass on both sides of the support pillar 1200 while the counterweight is positioned lower than the cab, as will be explained with reference to FIG. 4. Even in such a case, it goes without saying that any of the above-mentioned tangle prevention guards can prevent the main rope portions suspending the counterweight from becoming tangled in the above-mentioned specified support pillar as much as possible.

[0099] (2) In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which the safety fence 100 was installed on the car frame of a machine room-less elevator, but the elevator safety fence of the present invention can also be installed on the car frame of a traction type elevator in which the machine room is located above the hoistway.

[0100] (3) In the above embodiment, the safety fence units 1000 and 2000 have three support posts, and the safety fence unit 3000 has two support posts. However, the number of support posts per safety fence unit is not limited to this. For example, it can have four or more support posts depending on the length of the cross bars (upper and middle bars). In short, the present invention can be applied to safety fence units having at least two support posts. [Industrial Applicability]

[0101] The present invention can be suitably used for elevator safety fence units and elevator safety fences that are installed on elevator cars and used during maintenance and inspection work, and are stored during normal operation. [Explanation of symbols]

[0102] 100 Elevator safety fence 1000, 2000, 3000 Elevator Safety Fence Unit 1100, 1200, 1300 posts 1108, 1208, 1308 Guide members 1400 Upper pier

Claims

1. 1. An elevator safety fence unit used when performing work above an elevator car that transports passengers in the car car by raising and lowering a car frame that supports the car car from the inside, comprising: At least two supports; a guide member for guiding each of the two support columns so that the support columns can be displaced in the up and down direction; a horizontal beam spanning between the upper ends of the two columns; Including, The guide member is attached to the car frame, This safety fence unit for an elevator is characterized in that, when in use, the two pillars are pulled up together with the cross bar from a stored state in which the cross bar is located near the top of the car chamber.

2. the car frame includes an upper frame, a lower frame, a pair of vertical frames connecting both end portions of the upper frame and the lower frame, and a support member attached to the upper frame so as to cross the upper frame in a direction along one upper side of the car chamber, 2. The elevator safety fence unit according to claim 1, wherein the guide member is attached to the support member.

3. The elevator is an elevator in which a guide device provided at an upper end portion of the vertical frame is guided by a guide rail laid in the vertical direction to rise and fall, 3. The elevator safety fence unit according to claim 2, wherein the horizontal rail is formed in a shape that avoids interference with the guide device in the stored state.

4. 2. The elevator safety fence unit according to claim 1, further comprising a tangle prevention guard for preventing the main rope for raising and lowering the car frame from becoming tangled in the support pillar in the stored state.

5. the guide member is made of a cylindrical body, and the support is made of a pipe inserted into the cylindrical body, The elevator safety fence unit of claim 1, further comprising a stopper that is opened on each side of the cylinder and the pipe, and that allows a pressing member to enter the pipe from the cylinder through a communicating through-hole, and presses the inner surface of the pipe against the inner surface of the cylinder with the tip of the pressing member, thereby restricting downward displacement of the pipe and maintaining the support pillar in a raised position during use.

6. The elevator is an elevator having a car door on at least one side of the rectangular box-shaped car chamber, and is characterized in that an elevator safety fence unit described in any one of claims 1 to 5 is attached to the car frame portion corresponding to each of the upper edges of two sides other than the one side and the side opposite to that one side.

7. An elevator safety fence as described in claim 6, characterized in that an elevator safety fence unit as described in claim 1 or 5 is attached to the portion of the car frame corresponding to the upper edge of the side surface opposite to the one side surface.

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