Delivery system

Abstract

This system provides equipment loading and unloading capabilities, allowing equipment to be brought into the pit without being lifted by a winch after being brought into the elevator shaft. [Solution] The device includes a support means 200 for supporting a high-altitude work platform 100, which is shown as an example of equipment entering the elevator shaft from the landing, a lifting device 300 including a hydraulic jack 312 and sliding plates 326 and 328 which are displacement parts driven by the hydraulic jack 312 and displaced in the vertical direction, and a fixing means 400 for fixing the high-altitude work platform 100 to the sliding plates 326 and 328 so that the high-altitude work platform 100 supported by the support means 200 does not displace downward relative to the sliding plates 326 and 328, and the support means 200 can be removed from the space below the high-altitude work platform 100 when the high-altitude work platform 100 is fixed, and in this removed state the high-altitude work platform 100 is lowered into the pit by the lifting device 300.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a loading system, and more particularly to a loading system for loading various devices into the pit of an elevator.

Background Art

[0002] In the pit of the hoistway of an elevator, in addition to the hoisting machine which is a component of the elevator, there are various devices such as a working device (Japanese Patent No. 3037759) for the installation work of guide rails and a maintenance device (Japanese Patent No. 6741373) for maintaining guide rails, which are used in elevator installation work. These devices are loaded in various scenes.

[0003] Such devices are generally heavy, and the bottom of the pit (the bottom of the hoistway) is considerably deep from the landing floor of the lowest floor which is the loading entrance. Therefore, it is difficult to carry them in manually. For this reason, a loading system for loading such devices into the pit is disclosed in Patent Document 1.

[0004] The loading system described in Patent Document 1 (hereinafter referred to as the "conventional loading system") includes legs 8 installed at the bottom of the pit 3, a first receiving base 7 supported by the legs 8 and installed at a position substantially equal to the floor level of the landing 1, a floor plate 9 detachably attached at a position to cover the opening 7A of the receiving base 7, and a winch 6 installed above the floor plate 9 (Summary of Patent Document 1, FIG. 2).

[0005] In the conventional loading system, a cart 4 equipped with a hoisting machine 5 is run from the landing 1 and enters onto the floor plate 9 in the hoistway 2 through the hoistway opening (FIGS. 1 and 2 of Patent Document 1). The hoisting machine 5 located on the floor plate 9 is slightly lifted by a suspension rope 13 (FIG. 2 of Patent Document 1) hooked on the hook 6A of the winch 6. Then, after removing the cart 4 and the floor plate 9 (FIG. 3 of Patent Document 1), the winch 6 is started to lower the hoisting machine 5 to the bottom of the pit 3 of the hoistway 2, and the loading is completed (FIG. 4 of Patent Document 1).

[0006] According to the conventional loading system described above, the loading is completed by driving the trolley 4 from the landing 1, moving it onto the floor plate 9 in the elevator shaft 2, and then lifting it with the winch 6 and lowering it to the bottom of the pit 3 in the elevator shaft 2. Therefore, even if the equipment to be loaded is considerably heavy, it can be loaded. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2001-199649 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0008] However, in conventional loading systems, the hoisting machine 5, which has entered the floor slab 9 (inside the elevator shaft), is connected to the winch 6 with a suspension rope 13 and lowered to the bottom of the pit 3 while suspended. As a result, the hoisting machine 5 rotates around the chain of the winch 6. Therefore, workers are forced to hold the hoisting machine 5 in place to prevent it from rotating while working.

[0009] The present invention aims to provide an equipment loading system that allows equipment to be moved into a pit without being lifted by a winch after being brought into the elevator shaft. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] To achieve the above objective, the loading system according to the present invention is a system for loading equipment into a pit in an elevator shaft, comprising: a support means for supporting the equipment that has entered the elevator shaft from the landing; a lifting device including a jack and a displacement part driven by the jack and displaced in the vertical direction; and a fixing means for fixing the equipment to the displacement part so that the equipment supported by the support means does not displace downward relative to the displacement part, wherein the support means can be removed from the space below the equipment while the equipment is fixed to the displacement part by the fixing means, and the equipment is lowered into the pit by the lifting device in the removed state.

[0011] Furthermore, the equipment is configured to have a trolley that can enter the support means or enter the support means while mounted on the trolley, and the support means is characterized by including a pair of guide rails that guide the wheels of the trolley from the landing into the elevator shaft.

[0012] Furthermore, the device is a work platform at height, and the fixing means is characterized by including a configuration provided on the work platform at height and a configuration provided on the displacement portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the loading system of the present invention having the above configuration, equipment that has entered the elevator shaft is lowered into the pit while fixed to the displacement part of the lifting device. This makes it possible to load equipment into the pit without suspending it with a winch, as in the conventional loading system. Therefore, it is not necessary to hold the equipment (hoisting machine 5) in place to prevent it from rotating, as is required in the conventional loading system. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0014] [Figure 1] (a) is a perspective view and (b) is a front view of a high-altitude work platform, which is an example of equipment to be transported by the transport system according to the embodiment. [Figure 2]It is a diagram that simplifies and depicts the elevated workbench etc. (a) corresponds to Fig. 1(a), and (b) is a perspective view of the elevated workbench etc. shown in (a) as viewed from the back side. [Figure 3] It is a perspective view of a support means which is one of the components of the above-described loading system. [Figure 4] It is a perspective view of a lifting device which is one of the components of the above-described loading system. [Figure 5] It is a perspective view of the above-described lifting device as viewed from a direction different from Fig. 4. [Figure 6] It is a perspective view showing a state in which the elevated workbench supported by the above-described support means is fixed to the above-described lifting device. [Figure 7] It is a diagram showing one step of the procedure for loading the elevated workbench by the above-described loading system from the boarding area into the pit of the lifting path. [Figure 8] It is a diagram showing one step of the procedure for loading the elevated workbench by the above-described loading system from the boarding area into the pit of the lifting path. [Figure 9] It is a diagram showing one step of the procedure for loading the elevated workbench by the above-described loading system from the boarding area into the pit of the lifting path. [Figure 10] It is a diagram showing one step of the procedure for loading the elevated workbench by the above-described loading system from the boarding area into the pit of the lifting path. [Figure 11] It is a diagram showing one step of the procedure for loading the elevated workbench by the above-described loading system from the boarding area into the pit of the lifting path. [Figure 12] It is a diagram showing one step of the procedure for loading the elevated workbench by the above-described loading system from the boarding area into the pit of the lifting path. [Figure 13] It is a diagram showing one step of the procedure for loading the elevated workbench by the above-described loading system from the boarding area into the pit of the lifting path. [Figure 14] It is a diagram showing one step of the procedure for loading the elevated workbench by the above-described loading system from the boarding area into the pit of the lifting path.

Embodiments for Carrying out the Invention

[0015] Before explaining the loading system according to the present invention based on embodiments, the equipment to be loaded will be described. In FIG. 1, as an example of the equipment to be loaded, an aerial work platform 100 is shown. FIG. 1(a) is a perspective view of the aerial work platform 100, and FIG. 1(b) is a front view of the aerial work platform 100. The aerial work platform 100 is placed at the bottom of the hoistway pit and used during the construction work of the elevator. The aerial work platform 100 is a known device including a carriage 102, a work floor 104, and a lifting device 106 for raising and lowering the work floor 104 with respect to the carriage 102. The aerial work platform generally has a considerable weight (for example, 800 kg).

[0016] The carriage 102 has a rectangular base frame 108. The base frame 108 has a pair of long frame members 110, 112 and a pair of short frame members 114, 116, and these frame members are combined to form an overall rectangular shape.

[0017] A pair of casters 118, 120 are attached as wheels to both ends of the frame member 110. Similarly, a pair of casters 122, 124 (caster 124 is not shown in FIG. 1) are attached to the frame member 114.

[0018] The lifting device 106 has a first lifting unit 126 and a second lifting unit 128 arranged opposite to each other. The first lifting unit 126 and the second lifting unit 128 raise and lower the work floor 104 with respect to the carriage 102 by a known mast-type lifting mechanism using a hydraulic cylinder (not shown) as a driving source.

[0019] The work floor 104 is a place where workers stand and work. This work is mainly the installation of equipment in the hoistway. After the aerial work platform 100 is placed at the bottom of the hoistway, the work floor 104 is expanded in all directions from the state shown in FIG. 1, and further safety fences etc. (not shown) are attached, but these are not the main focus of the present invention, so the description thereof will be omitted.

[0020] Hereafter, the elevated work platform 100 will be illustrated in a simplified form, as shown in Figure 2. Figure 2(a) corresponds to Figure 1(a), and Figure 2(b) is a perspective view of the elevated work platform 100 shown in Figure 2(a) from the rear. Referring to Figure 2, the elevated work platform 100 is a device that has a trolley 102 with four casters 118, 120, 122, and 124, a work platform 104, and a lifting device 106 that raises and lowers the work platform 104 relative to the trolley 102. The lifting device 106 has a first lifting unit 126 and a second lifting unit 128 arranged opposite each other. Note that in Figure 2, the frame 108 of the trolley 102 is depicted as a single plate, omitting the four frame members 110, 112, 114, and 116 (Figure 1(a)).

[0021] The frame 108 is provided with part of the fixing means 400 for fixing the elevated work platform 100 to the lifting device 300 (Figures 4 and 5), which will be described later.

[0022] The loading system according to this embodiment is a system for loading a high-altitude work platform 100 into a pit in the elevator shaft, and broadly consists of a support means 200 that supports the high-altitude work platform 100 above the pit 11 after it has entered the elevator shaft from the landing, a lifting device 300 that displaces the high-altitude work platform 100 in the vertical direction, and a fixing means 400 that fixes the high-altitude work platform 100 to the lifting device 300. The support means 200, the lifting device 300, and the fixing means 400 will be described in order below.

[0023] Figure 3 shows a perspective view of the support means 200. The support means 200 has four support columns 202, 204, 206, and 208. As shown in Figure 3, the support columns 202, 204, 206, and 208 are connected by four crossbars 210, 212, 214, and 216 fixed to their lower ends. The support columns 202, 204, 206, and 208 and the crossbars 210, 212, 214, and 216 are fixed together with bolts, etc., and by loosening and removing these bolts, the fixing can be easily released and the structure can be disassembled. In other words, the support columns 202, 204, 206, and 208 and the crossbars 210, 212, 214, and 216 can be separated individually.

[0024] The support means 200 also has a pair of parallel guide rails 218 and 220. One guide rail 218 is stretched across the upper ends of columns 202 and 204 and fixed to columns 202 and 204. The other guide rail 220 is stretched across the upper ends of columns 206 and 208 and fixed to columns 206 and 208. The spacing Dr between the guide rails 218 and 220 matches the spacing Dw between the casters 118 and 122 of the trolley 102 of the elevated work platform 100, as shown in Figure 1(b).

[0025] Each of the support columns 202, 204, 206, and 208 is equipped with a known foot jack 222, 224, 226, and 228 at its lower end. This allows for adjustment of the height of the upper ends of each of the support columns 202, 204, 206, and 208, and consequently, the height of the guide rails 218 and 220.

[0026] Next, the lifting device 300 will be described. Figures 4 and 5 show perspective views of the lifting device 300 from different directions, respectively. The lifting device 300 is made of channel steel and has parallel bases 302 and 304. The lower ends of support columns 306 and 308, which are made of channel steel, are fixed to one end of each of the bases 302 and 304 by bolts or the like.

[0027] A crossbar 310 is fixed between the lower parts of the two support columns 306 and 308. The lower end of the cylinder 314 of the hydraulic jack 312 is fixed to the center of the crossbar 310. A shaft 320 is horizontally attached to the tip (upper end) of a plunger 316 that moves up and down from the upper end of the cylinder 314 via a support member 318. Sprockets 322 and 324 are rotatably mounted at both ends of the shaft 320.

[0028] The lifting device 300 also has a pair of sliding plates 326 and 328, each corresponding to a support column 306 and 308. The two sliding plates 326 and 328 are connected by a pair of bars 330 and 332, which are provided on either side of the support columns 306 and 308. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, each of the two sliding plates 326 and 328 is provided with multiple rollers (not shown) that roll vertically along the side or outer bottom surface of the support columns 306 and 308, which are made of channel steel. As a result, each of the two sliding plates 326 and 328 can slide vertically along the corresponding support columns 306 and 308.

[0029] A roller chain 334 is wrapped around the sprocket 322. One end of the roller chain 334 is connected to the bar 332 via a mounting member 336, and the other end is connected to the crossbar 310 via a mounting member 338. Note that most of the roller chain 334 between the sprocket 322 and the mounting member 336, and between the sprocket 332 and the mounting member 338, has been omitted from the illustration.

[0030] A roller chain 340 is wrapped around the sprocket 324. One end of the roller chain 340 is connected to the bar 332 via a mounting member 342, and the other end is connected to the crossbar 310 via a mounting member 344. Note that most of the illustration of the roller chain 340 between the sprocket 324 and the mounting member 342, and between the sprocket 324 and the mounting member 344, has been omitted.

[0031] In the lifting device 300 having the above configuration, when the hydraulic jack 312 is driven and the plunger 316 is displaced upward, the bar 332 is lifted via the roller chains 334 and 340, and consequently, the slide plates 326 and 328 are displaced upward. On the other hand, when the plunger 316 is displaced downward, the slide plates 326 and 328 are displaced downward by the weight of the bars 330 and 332, the slide plates 326 and 328, etc. In other words, the slide plates 326 and 328 function as displacement parts that are driven by the hydraulic jack 312 and displaced in the vertical direction. The hydraulic jack 312 is operated by an electric hydraulic pump (not shown).

[0032] The elevated work platform 100 is fixed to the lifting device 300 by fixing means 400. The fixing means 400 includes a configuration provided on the elevated work platform 100 side and a configuration provided on the lifting device 300 side.

[0033] First, we will explain from the perspective of the elevated work platform 100, referring to Figure 2. The fixing means 400 includes a pair of support columns 402 and 408 provided on the frame material 110 (Figure 1(a)) of the base frame 108. The lower ends of each of the support columns 402 and 408 are fixed to the frame material 110 by welding (not shown) or the like.

[0034] As shown in Figure 2, one side of each of the equal-sided angle steels 404 and 410 is fixed to the support columns 402 and 408 by welding (not shown) or the like, overlapping them. On the other side, multiple (three in this example) bolt insertion holes 406 and 412 are provided at intervals in the vertical direction.

[0035] Next, the configuration of the fixing means 400 provided on the lifting device 300 side will be explained with reference to Figures 4 and 5. Female threads 420 and 422 are formed on each of the slide plates 326 and 328 at the same intervals as the bolt insertion holes 406 and 412 opened in each of the equal-sided angle steels 404 and 410 described above. On the lifting device 300 side, the female threads 420 and 422 formed on the slide plates 326 and 328 function as the configuration of the fixing means 400.

[0036] The fixing means 400 also includes three bolts, described later, which are inserted into bolt insertion holes 406 and 412 and screwed into female threads 420 and 422.

[0037] As will be described later, the elevated work platform 100 is supported by support means 200 installed in the elevator shaft and fixed to the lifting device 300 by fixing means 400. A perspective view of the elevated work platform 100 fixed to the lifting device 300 is shown in Figure 6.

[0038] The elevated work platform 100 is fixed to the lifting device 300 by fixing means 400, with its casters 118, 120, 122, and 124 (caster 124 is not shown in Figure 6) resting on the guide rails 218 and 220 of the support means 200. Specifically, it is fixed by inserting three bolts 424 into each of the three bolt insertion holes 406 (Figure 2) provided in the equal-sided angle steel 404, and then screwing and tightening each of these bolts into the three female threads 420 (Figures 4 and 5) provided on the slide plate 326. The fixing to the slide plate 328 (Figures 4 and 6) is the same as the fixing to the slide plate 326 described above, so its explanation is omitted.

[0039] Next, with reference to Figures 7 to 14, the procedure for transporting the elevated work platform 100 into the pit 11 in the elevator shaft 10 using the transport system according to the embodiment will be described. Needless to say, the pit 11 is the part of the elevator shaft 10 below the lowest floor surface 13a. Figure 7 shows the state in which the lifting device 300 is installed on the bottom surface 11a of the pit 11 in the elevator shaft 10. The lifting device 300, including the bases 302 and 304 and the other parts including the support columns 306 and 308, is transported separately into the pit 11 and assembled inside the pit 11. Note that in Figures 7 to 14, the elevator shaft 10 and the landing 13 are shown in a vertical cross-sectional view.

[0040] Once the lifting device 300 is installed, the support means 200 (Figure 3) is assembled. Figure 8 shows the state in which the support means 200 has been assembled in the pit 11. The support means 200 is positioned so that a portion of the guide rails 218 and 220 (the leading edge portion on the landing 13 side) is extended across the landing 13. Extending across means that, in a plan view, the leading edge portion overlaps with the landing floor 13a.

[0041] When assembling the support means 200, the height of the guide rails 218 and 220 is adjusted using foot jacks 222, 224, 226, and 228 (Figure 3). Specifically, the height is adjusted so that the tip portion is in contact with the landing floor 13a (Figure 8), or so that there is a small gap. Once the assembly of the support means 200 is complete, the electric hydraulic pump (not shown) placed on the landing 13 is connected to the hydraulic jack 312 (Figures 5 and 6) of the lifting device 300 with a hydraulic hose (not shown). The electric hydraulic pump (not shown) is placed in a location that does not obstruct access to the elevator shaft 10 of the elevated work platform 100, as will be described later.

[0042] Once the lifting device 300 is installed and the support means 200 is assembled as described above, the transport of the elevated work platform 100 into the elevator shaft 10 begins. First, the elevated work platform 100 is brought to the landing 13 (Figure 9). Then, the casters 118, 120, 122, and 124 of the elevated work platform 100 (Figure 2) are placed on the corresponding guide rails 218 and 220, and it is pushed into the elevator shaft 10 (Figure 10). At this time, the elevated work platform 100 enters the elevator shaft 10 through the opening 12 of the elevator shaft 10, with the casters 118, 120, 122, and 124 of the trolley 102 guided by the guide rails 218 and 220. When passing through the opening 12 of the elevator shaft 10, the trolley 102 (high-altitude work platform 200) is guided by the guide rails 218 and 220, thus preventing it from meandering as much as possible. As a result, collisions between the high-altitude work platform 100 and the side walls of the landing 13 (opening 12 and its surroundings) can be prevented as much as possible.

[0043] In the conventional loading system described in Patent Document 1 (Figures 1 and 2 of Patent Document 1), a trolley 4 equipped with a hoisting machine 5 is driven from the landing 1 and enters the floor plate 9 inside the hoistway 2 through the hoistway opening. However, it is difficult to move a considerably heavy object in a straight line toward the target position using a trolley, and the conventional loading system inevitably meanders to some extent. As a result, if there is insufficient clearance between the width of the equipment to be loaded and the width of the landing opening (opening of the hoistway), the equipment may collide with the wall of the hoistway opening and be damaged. However, as described above, the loading system according to this embodiment can prevent such a situation.

[0044] Next, the high-altitude work platform 100, which is supported by the support means 200, is fixed to the slide plates 326 and 328 of the lifting device 300 by the fixing means 400 so that it does not displace downward relative to the slide plates 326 and 328 of the lifting device 300 (even if the support from the support means 200 is removed). The state in which the high-altitude work platform 100 is fixed to the slide plates 326 and 328 of the lifting device by the fixing means 400 is shown in Figure 6 above.

[0045] Then, the hydraulic jack 312 of the lifting device 300 is driven to slightly raise the elevated work platform 100 (Figure 11). In this state, the support means 200 is removed from the space below the elevated work platform 100 (in this example, the support means 200 is disassembled and removed outside the elevator shaft 10) (Figure 12). If there is sufficient space in the pit 11, the support means 200 may be removed from the space below the elevated work platform 100 by moving it within the pit 11, either as is or disassembled. Furthermore, when removing the support means 200, it is not always necessary to lift the elevated work platform 100; the foot jacks 222, 224, 226, and 228 may be operated (loosened) to ensure that the load of the elevated work platform 100 is not applied to the guide rails 218 and 220, and then the support means 200 can be removed.

[0046] As previously described, in the support means 200, the support columns 202, 204, 206, and 208 and the crossbars 210, 212, 214, and 216 are fixed with bolts, etc., and by loosening and removing these bolts, the fixing can be easily released and the support means 200 can be disassembled. In other words, the support means 200 is configured to be removable when the elevated work platform 100 is supported by the lifting device 300 (when the elevated work platform 100 is fixed to the sliding plates 326 and 328 by the fixing means 400).

[0047] Once the support means 200 is removed, the lifting device 300 is driven to lower the elevated work platform 100 into the pit 11 (Figure 13). In this example, the platform is lowered until the casters 118, 120, 122, and 124 touch the bottom surface 11a of the pit 11. Before starting the descent of the elevated work platform 100, the orientation of the casters 120 and 124 (Figure 2), which were at the front when entering the elevator shaft 10, is rotated by 180 degrees to prevent interference with the base 304 of the lifting device 300 when they touch the ground.

[0048] When the elevated work platform 100 is lowered into the pit 11, the fixing means 400 that secures the elevated work platform 100 to the lifting device 300 is released, and the lifting device 300 is removed from the pit 11 (Figure 14). Having been lowered to the pit bottom surface 11a in this manner, the elevated work platform 100 can move freely on the pit bottom surface 11a.

[0049] Furthermore, it is acceptable to perform the installation work of equipment inside the elevator shaft using the elevated work platform 100 without releasing it from the lifting device 300 (while it remains fixed). In this case, if the work is to be performed inside the pit 11, the elevated work platform 100 may be lifted by the lifting device 300 (as shown in Figure 12) to secure working space inside the pit 11.

[0050] As explained above, according to the loading system of this embodiment, the elevated work platform 100, once it has entered the elevator shaft 10, is loaded into the pit 11 while fixed to the sliding plates 326 and 328, which are the displacement parts of the lifting device 300. This allows the elevated work platform 300 to be loaded into the pit 11 without being suspended by a winch, as in the conventional loading system described above. Therefore, it is not necessary to hold the equipment (hoisting machine 5) in place to prevent it from rotating, as is required in the conventional loading system described above.

[0051] The loading system according to the present invention has been described above based on embodiments, but of course the present invention is not limited to the above-described forms, and may also take the following forms, for example. (1) In the above embodiment, the object to be transported by the transport system was a work platform 100, which is a piece of equipment having a trolley 102. However, the system is not limited to this, and for example, a hoisting machine, which is a piece of equipment mounted on a trolley, as described in Patent Document 1, may also be used as the object to be transported. In this case, it is preferable to use casters for the wheels provided on the trolley, as in the above embodiment.

[0052] When transporting equipment on a trolley, after the equipment has been secured to the lifting device with fixing means, the trolley on which the equipment was carried shall also be removed when the support means is removed.

[0053] (2) In the above embodiment, a hydraulic jack 312 powered by an electric hydraulic pump (not shown) was used as a jack to drive the slide plates 326 and 328, which are the displacement parts of the lifting device 300, in the vertical direction. However, the invention is not limited to this, and a manual hydraulic jack may also be used.

[0054] (3) In addition to hydraulic jacks, electric or manual rack jacks or screw jacks may also be used. [Industrial applicability]

[0055] The loading system according to the present invention can be suitably used, for example, as a loading system for loading various equipment into the pit of an elevator shaft. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0056] 200 Support means 300 Lifting device 400 Fixing means

Claims

1. A system for transporting equipment into a pit in an elevator shaft, Support means for supporting the equipment that has entered the elevator shaft from the landing, A lifting device including a jack and a displacement part that is driven by the jack and displaced in the vertical direction, To prevent the device supported by the support means from being displaced downward relative to the displacement part, a fixing means is provided for fixing the device to the displacement part, Includes, A transport system characterized in that, while the equipment is fixed to the displacement portion by the fixing means, the support means can be removed from the space below the equipment, and in the removed state, the equipment is lowered into the pit by the lifting device.

2. The aforementioned device has a trolley and is configured to either enter the support means or enter the support means while mounted on the trolley. The loading system according to claim 1, characterized in that the support means includes a pair of guide rails that guide the wheels of the trolley from the landing to the elevator shaft.

3. The aforementioned device is a work platform for working at heights, The loading system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the fixing means includes a configuration provided on the elevated work platform and a configuration provided on the displacement portion.

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