Installation carriage, arrangement and method

Abstract

The installation carriage (1) for automated or remote-controlled installation of components in an elevator shaft is configured to carry at least one tool (10) that is configured to carry out at least one process step relating to installation of components in the elevator shaft and comprises a frame (2) that is configured to be moveable in the vertical direction (A) in the elevator shaft by means of a hoisting member (21), wall contact wheels elements (3) configured to support the installation carriage (1) against a wall (43) of the elevator shaft, and guide means (4) configured to contact a pretensioned guide rope (20) extending in the vertical direction (A) of the elevator shaft for controlling the horizontal position of the installation carriage (1)

Description

[0001] Installation carriage, arrangement and method

[0002] Technical field of the invention

[0003] The invention concerns an installation carriage for automated or remote-controlled installation of components in an elevator shaft, as defined in claim 1 . The invention further concerns an installation arrangement and a method of installing components to a wall of an elevator shaft.

[0004] Background of the invention

[0005] Most elevators are provided with vertical guide rails, which are used for guiding an elevator car and a counterweight. Often an elevator is provided with own guide rails for both the elevator car and the counterweight. The guide rails run in the vertical direction from the bottom to the top of the elevator shaft. Typically, each guide rail consists of several vertical segments. The guide rails are assembled by connecting those segments to each other on-site. A typical guide rail has a T-shaped cross-sectional profile. The arms of the profile are used for attaching the guide rail to the elevator shaft, often via guide rail brackets. The stem of the profile forms a nose that functions as support surfaces for the elevator car or the counterweight. Typically, each of the elevator car and the counterweight is supported between a pair of opposite guide rails.

[0006] The guide rail brackets can be attached to the walls of the elevator shaft by means of threaded fastening elements. Wedge anchors are commonly used for fastening the guide rail brackets. Alternatively, the walls of the elevator shaft can be provided with inserts allowing the brackets to be fastened to the wall by means of bolts.

[0007] The installation of guide rails typically requires a lot of manual work. If wedge anchors are used for fastening the guide rail brackets, holes for the wedge anchors need to be drilled. There are occupational safety risks, such as noise and dust, related to the drilling.

[0008] Regardless of whether wedge anchors or fastening inserts are used, bolts or other fastening elements are needed, and conventionally the tightening of the fastening elements have been done manually using either a spanner or an impact driver. Especially in high-rise buildings, manual tightening of the bolts is labor-intensive and time-consuming. Similar problems are encountered when installing other components, such as landing doors.

[0009] Attempts have been made to reduce the manual work relating to installation of guide rails or other elevator components, but many of the automated systems are expensive and difficult to assemble and operate.

[0010] Summary of the invention

[0011] An object of the invention is to provide an installation carriage for automated or remote-controlled installation of components in an elevator shaft. Another object of the invention is to provide an installation arrangement for automated or remote-controlled installation of components in an elevator shaft. A further object of the invention is to provide a method of installing components to a wall of an elevator shaft.

[0012] The installation carriage according to the invention is configured to carry at least one tool that is configured to carry out at least one process step relating to installation of components in the elevator shaft and comprises a frame that is configured to be moveable in the vertical direction in the elevator shaft by means of a hoisting member, wall contact elements configured to support the installation carriage against a wall of the elevator shaft, and guide means configured to contact a pretensioned guide rope extending in the vertical direction of the elevator shaft for controlling the horizontal position of the installation carriage.

[0013] The installation arrangement according to the invention comprises a pretensioned guide rope extending in the vertical direction of the elevator shaft, an installation carriage defined above configured to be moveable along the guide rope, a hoisting member for moving the installation carriage in the vertical direction, and at least one tool mounted to the installation carriage and configured to carry out at least one process step relating to installation of components in the elevator shaft.

[0014] In the method according to the invention the installation arrangement defined above is used and the method comprises the steps of moving the installation carriage by means of the hoisting member to a height allowing at least one process step relating to the installation of the components to be carried out by the tool of the installation carriage, and using said tool automated or remote- controlled to carry out said process step.

[0015] The installation carriage according to the invention can be positioned in the horizontal direction by means of a pretensioned guide rope. The installation carriage is simple to operate and robust. The pretensioned guide rope provides in many cases sufficiently accurate horizontal positioning and the need for measurement tools and measurements during installation of components can be avoided.

[0016] According to an embodiment of the invention, the wall contact elements are wheels.

[0017] According to an embodiment of the invention, the guide means comprise one or more pulleys configured to contact the guide rope.

[0018] According to an embodiment of the invention, the rotation axes of the pulleys are in a use position of the installation carriage horizontal and parallel to the wall against which the wall contact elements support the installation carriage.

[0019] According to an embodiment of the invention, the guide means are configured to exert in a use position of the installation carriage on the guide rope a force that is perpendicular to the wall against which the wall contact elements support the installation carriage and faces away from said wall. The guide rope thus pushes the installation carriage against the wall and helps keeping the installation carriage against the wall.

[0020] According to an embodiment of the invention, the installation carriage comprises tensioning means for pressing the guide means towards the guide rope.

[0021] According to an embodiment of the invention, the tensioning means comprise mechanical springs and / or gas springs. The gas springs can be either passive or controllable springs. Passive springs do not require controlling and keep the guide means constantly pressed against the guide rope.

[0022] According to an embodiment of the invention, the tensioning means comprise a pneumatic, hydraulic or electrical actuator for adjusting the position of the guide means relative to the wall contact wheels. By means of an active actuator, the tension of the guide rope can be adjusted. According to an embodiment of the invention, the installation carriage comprises a vacuum gripping device for applying a suction force to the wall against which the wall contact elements support the installation carriage to hold the installation carriage against the wall when carrying out a process step relating to said installation of components. Although the guide rope keeps the installation carriage against the wall as the installation carriage moves in the vertical direction of the elevator shaft, in certain situations additional means are needed to keep the installation carriage against the wall. For instance, during drilling the guide rope may not be sufficient to hold the installation carriage against the wall, but by means of the vacuum gripping means the installation carriage can be held stationary during drilling.

[0023] According to an embodiment of the invention, the installation carriage comprises position monitoring means configured to cooperate with the guide rope to monitor the vertical position of the installation carriage. The use of the guide rope for position monitoring provides simple means for monitoring the vertical position of the installation carriage.

[0024] According to an embodiment of the invention, the tool of the installation carriage is a drilling tool, bolting tool or measurement tool.

[0025] According to an embodiment of the invention, the process step of the method is drilling of a hole for installation of a guide rail bracket.

[0026] According to an embodiment of the invention, method comprises the step of applying a suction force to a wall of the elevator shaft by means of a vacuum gripping device to hold the installation carriage against a wall of the elevator shaft while carrying out said process step.

[0027] Brief description of the drawings

[0028] Embodiments of the invention are described below in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which

[0029] Fig. 1 shows schematically an elevator shaft with two guide rails,

[0030] Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of an installation carriage according to an embodiment of the invention and a guide rope, Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of a drilling tool that can be mounted to the installation carriage,

[0031] Fig. 4 shows a side view of an installation carriage with the drilling tool of figure 3,

[0032] Fig. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of an installation carriage with means for adjusting the tension of the guide rope,

[0033] Fig. 6 shows a perspective view of an installation carriage with a vacuum gripping device, and

[0034] Fig. 7 shows a front view of the installation carriage of figure 6.

[0035] Detailed description of embodiments of the invention

[0036] Figure 1 shows schematically an elevator shaft of an elevator. The elevator shaft is provided with guide rails 40. The guide rails 40 are configured to guide an elevator car (not shown) moving in the vertical direction in the elevator shaft. Similar guide rails can be provided for a counterweight of the elevator. Each guide rail 40 comprises a plurality of guide rail segments 41 . The guide rails 40 are attached to the walls 43 of the elevator shaft by means of guide rail brackets 42. The brackets 42 are thus attached to the walls 43 and the guide rails 40 are attached to the brackets 42. Each bracket 42 is attached to the wall 43 by means of two or more threaded fastening elements. The threaded fastening elements can be, for instance, wedge anchors or bolts. The guide rails 40 can be attached to the brackets 42 by means of threaded fastening elements, such as bolts and nuts.

[0037] The process of installing the guide rails 40 can be fully or partly automated. The present invention facilitates automation of the installation process of the guide rails 40. However, the invention can also be used for facilitating the installation of other components installed in the elevator shaft. As an example, the invention could be used for the installation of landing doors of the elevator.

[0038] For fastening the guide rails 40 to the walls 43 of the elevator shaft with threaded fastening elements, the walls need to be configured to cooperate with the threaded fastening elements. A typical way of fastening the guide rails 40 involves drilling holes to the walls and using wedge anchors to fasten the guide rail brackets 42. The present invention can be utilized in the process of drilling the holes and / or tightening the wedge anchors. Instead of using wedge anchors, the wall of the elevator shaft could be provided with threaded counterparts for the threaded fastening elements. For instance, the walls could be provided with inserts comprising holes with inside threads. The threaded fastening elements could be bolts engaged with the threads of the inserts. Alternatively, the walls could be provided with inserts having C-grooves and T-bolts arranged in the grooves. The threaded fastening elements could thus be nuts cooperating with the T-bolts. The walls could also be provided with threaded rods protruding from the walls and the threaded fastening elements could be nuts cooperating with the threaded rods.

[0039] Figures 2 and 4-7 show different views of installation carriages 1 according to embodiments of the invention. The installation carriage 1 can be used for automated or remote-controlled installation of components in an elevator shaft.

[0040] The installation carriage 1 can be used as a part of an installation arrangement for automated or remote-controlled installation of components in an elevator shaft.

[0041] Installation of components means here any task relating to the actual installation of the components and carried out in the elevator shaft. The installation carriage 1 can thus be used for carrying out tasks prior the actual physical installation of a component or after that. For instance, the installation carriage 1 can be used for measurements and inspection before and after installation of the components and for drilling holes in the elevator shaft.

[0042] Automated or remote-controlled installation of components means that the installation carriage 1 is unmanned. At least the process steps carried out using the installation carriage 1 are thus carried out automatically or remote-controlled. There can be other tasks relating to the installation of the components that are carried out as manual labor. Remote-controlled means here that the person controlling the operation of the installation carriage 1 is not in the installation carriage 1. The installation carriage 1 or the tools carried by the installation carriage 1 could thus be controlled for example from the elevator shaft or from a landing of the elevator shaft. The installation carriage 1 is configured to carry at least one tool 10 that is configured to carry out at least one process step relating to installation of components in the elevator shaft. The tool 10 can be, for instance, a drill, a bolting tool or a measurement tool. The process step could be, for instance, drilling or bolting or a measurement or inspection prior to or after drilling or bolting.

[0043] The installation carriage 1 comprises a frame 2. The frame 2 is configured to be moveable in the vertical direction in the elevator shaft by means of one or more hoisting members, such as ropes, cables or chains. The vertical direction is shown in the figures as arrow A. The upper end of the elevator shaft is provided with drive means, such as an electric motor, which can be used for lifting the installation carriage 1 . The drive means could also be installed in the installation carriage 1 , but that would make the installation carriage 1 heavier. In the embodiments of the figures, the frame 2 of the installation carriage 1 comprises steel profiles. However, the frame 2 could also have some other construction.

[0044] The installation carriage 1 further comprises wall contact elements 3 configured to support the installation carriage 1 against a wall of the elevator shaft. In the embodiments of the figures, the wall contact elements 3 are wheels. However, the wall contact elements or some of the wall contact elements could also be elements configured to slide against the wall. In the embodiments of the figures, the installation carriage 1 comprises four wall contact wheels 3. Each wall contact wheel 3 is arranged in a corner of the frame 2 of the installation carriage 1 .

[0045] The installation arrangement according to the invention comprises a pretensioned guide rope 20 extending in the vertical direction of the elevator shaft. The guide rope 20 extends substantially over the whole length of the elevator shaft. A lower end of the guide rope 20 is attached to the elevator shaft at the lower end of the elevator shaft. The lower end can be attached, for instance, to the bottom of the elevator shaft. An upper end of the guide rope 20 is attached to the elevator shaft at the upper end of the elevator shaft. The upper end of the guide rope 20 can be attached, for instance, to the roof of the elevator shaft, to a beam structure, or to an attachment structure of a wall of the elevator shaft. The guide rope 20 can be, for instance, a steel cable. The installation carriage 1 is guided by a single guide rope 20. The installation carriage 1 comprises guide means 4 configured to contact a pretensioned guide rope 20 extending in the vertical direction of the elevator shaft for controlling the horizontal position of the installation carriage 1 . In the embodiments of the figures, the guide means 4 comprise two pulleys 5 that are configured to contact the guide rope 20. The rotation axes of the pulleys 5 are parallel to the rotation axes of the wall contact wheels 3. The rotation axes of the pulleys 5 are thus horizontal in the use position of the installation carriage 1 and parallel to the wall 43 contacted by the wall contact wheels 3.

[0046] The guide means 4 are configured to exert in a use position of the installation carriage 1 on the guide rope 20 a force that is perpendicular to the wall 43 against which the wall contact wheels 3 support the installation carriage 1 and faces away from said wall.

[0047] The guide rope 20 pushes the installation carriage 1 against the wall 43, i.e. in the direction of arrow B. The guide rope 20 also positions the installation carriage 1 in the lateral direction, i.e. in the direction of arrow C.

[0048] Instead of two pulleys 5, the guide means 4 could comprise a single pulley or three or more pulleys. Instead of the pulleys or in addition to the pulleys, the guide means 4 could comprise some other guide elements. In the embodiments of the figures, both pulleys 5 are located between the wall 43 contacted by the wall contact wheels 3 and the guide rope 20. However, the guide means 4 could comprise one or more additional pulleys or other guide elements arranged on the opposite side of the guide rope 20.

[0049] In the embodiments of the figures, the frame 2 of the installation carriage 1 surrounds the guide rope 20. However, the guide rope 20 could also be arranged farther from the wall 43 of the elevator shaft and / or the frame 2 could have a different construction, in which case the whole installation carriage 1 could be located between the wall 43 and the guide rope 20.

[0050] In the embodiments of the figures, the wall contact wheels 3 of the installation carriage 1 are arranged symmetrically about the guide means 4. The guide rope 20 thus pushes each wall contact wheel 3 against the wall 43 of the elevator shaft with a substantially equal force.

[0051] The installation carriage 1 comprises tensioning means 6 for pressing the guide means 4 towards the guide rope 20. The tensioning means 6 can be configured to press the guide means 4 towards the guide rope 20 with a predetermined force. Instead of that or in addition to that, the tensioning means 6 can be configured to allow adjustment of the tensioning force. The tensioning means 6 can comprise one or more mechanical springs and / or gas springs. In addition to that or instead of that, the tensioning means 6 can comprise a pneumatic, hydraulic or electrical actuator for adjusting the position of the guide means 4 relative to the wall contact wheels 3.

[0052] In the embodiments of the figures, the tensioning means 6 are attached to the frame 2 of the installation carriage 1 and configured to push the pulleys 5 towards the guide rope 20. In the embodiments of the figures, the tensioning means 6 comprise a pneumatic actuator. Tensioning means could also be arranged between the frame 2 and the wall contact wheels 3. For instance, each wall contact wheel 3 could be supported by means of a mechanical spring or gas spring against the frame 2 of the installation carriage 1 .

[0053] In the embodiments of the figures, the installation carriage 1 comprises a drilling tool 10. In the embodiments of the figures, the drilling tool 10 comprises two drills 11 . The drills 11 can be moved relative to the frame 2 of the installation carriage 1 towards the wall 43 against which the installation carriage 1 is supported and away from the wall 43, i.e. in the direction of arrow B. The installation carriage 1 can comprise for example a pneumatic, hydraulic or electrical actuator for moving the drills 11 relative to the frame 2. Two drills 11 allow simultaneous drilling of two holes, but the installation carriage 1 could also be provided with a single drill 11 .

[0054] Instead of the drilling tool 10 or in addition to that, the installation carriage 1 could comprise, for instance, a bolting tool and / or a measurement tool.

[0055] The installation carriage 1 can comprise position monitoring means configured to cooperate with the guide rope 20 to monitor the vertical position of the installation carriage 1 . The position monitoring means could comprise a follower wheel configured to roll against the guide rope 20 for monitoring the distance travelled along the guide rope 20. Alternatively, the position monitoring means could comprise an optical sensor. The guide rope 20 could be provided with suitable markings that can be read by the optical sensor. In the embodiment of figures 6 and 7, the installation carriage 1 comprises a vacuum gripping device 30 for applying a suction force to the wall against which the wall contact wheels 3 support the installation carriage 1 to hold the installation carriage 1 against the wall when carrying out a process step relating to said installation of components.

[0056] In the embodiment of the figures, the vacuum gripping device 30 comprises a gripping portion 31 that is configured to be moveable relative to the frame 2 of the installation carriage 1 between a gripping position, in which the gripping portion 31 is against the wall 43 of the elevator shaft, and a retracted position. In figure 6, the gripping portion 31 of the vacuum gripping device 30 is in the retracted position. The installation carriage 1 can comprise means 33 for moving the gripping portion 31 linearly between the gripping position and the retracted position. In the embodiment of the figures, the means for moving the gripping portion 31 comprise pneumatic cylinders. However, the means could also comprise, for instance, one or more hydraulic cylinders or electrical linear actuators.

[0057] In the embodiment of the figures, the gripping portion 31 comprises a foam pad for contacting the wall 43. The gripping portion is also provided with a plurality of suction holes 32 for applying the suction force to the wall 43. The suction holes 32 are arranged in the foam pad. The foam pad adapts to irregularities, such as protrusions, cracks and steps of the wall and ensure effective gripping. Due to the plurality of suction holes 32, a leakage under the edge of the gripping portion 31 does not significantly affect the suction force.

[0058] The vacuum gripping device 30 can be used in particular when drilling holes to the wall 43 of the elevator shaft. However, the vacuum gripping device 30 could also be used when bolts or nuts are tightened using a bolting tool.

[0059] In the embodiment of figures 6 and 7, the installation carriage 1 comprises only a single vacuum gripping device 30 with a single gripping portion 31 . The vacuum gripping device 30 is configured to hold the installation carriage 1 in contact with the wall 43 against which the wall contact wheels 3 support the installation carriage 1 . However, the vacuum gripping device 30 could also be configured to hold the installation carriage 1 in contact with another wall of the elevator shaft, or the installation carriage 1 could be provided with a further gripping portion or vacuum gripping device configured to hold the installation carriage 1 in contact with another wall of the elevator shaft.

[0060] The vacuum gripping device 30 can be provided with a vacuum source, such as a vacuum pump for generating the suction needed for the gripping portion 31 of the vacuum gripping device 30.

[0061] In the method according to the invention, the installation carriage 1 is moved by means of the hoisting member 21 to a height allowing at least one process step relating to the installation of the components to be carried out by the tool

[0062] 10 of the installation carriage 1 . The tool 10 is then used automated or remote- controlled to carry out said process step.

[0063] The process step can be drilling of a hole for installation of a guide rail bracket 42.

[0064] The method can further comprise the step of applying a suction force to a wall of the elevator shaft by means of the vacuum gripping device 30 to hold the installation carriage 1 against a wall of the elevator shaft while carrying out the process step.

[0065] While the process step is carried out, the wall contact wheels 3 can be kept against the wall 43 of the elevator shaft. When the installation carriage 1 is moved to the desired height, the vacuum pump of the vacuum gripping device 30 can be switched on. The gripping portion 31 of the vacuum gripping device 30 can then be moved from the retracted position by means of the pneumatic cylinders 33 or other actuators to the gripping position against the wall 43 to attach the gripping portion 31 to the wall. The gripping portion 31 can then be retracted to an intermediate position to support the wall contact wheels 3 against the wall 43. If the process step is drilling of holes, the drills 11 can then be moved towards the wall and the holes can be drilled. After drilling, the drills

[0066] 11 are moved to a retracted position and the vacuum pump can be switched off. The gripping portion 31 of the vacuum gripping device 30 can then be moved back to the retracted position by means of the pneumatic cylinders 33 or other actuators.

Claims

Claims:1 . An installation carriage (1 ) for automated or remote-controlled installation of components in an elevator shaft, the installation carriage (1 ) being configured to carry at least one tool (10) that is configured to carry out at least one process step relating to installation of components in the elevator shaft, the installation carriage (1 ) comprising- a frame (2) that is configured to be moveable in the vertical direction (A) in the elevator shaft by means of a hoisting member (21 ),- wall contact elements (3) configured to support the installation carriage (1 ) against a wall (43) of the elevator shaft, and- guide means (4) configured to contact a pretensioned guide rope (20) extending in the vertical direction (A) of the elevator shaft for controlling the horizontal position of the installation carriage (1 ).

2. The installation carriage (1 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the wall contact elements (3) are wheels.

3. The installation carriage (1 ) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the guide means (4) comprise one or more pulleys (5) configured to contact the guide rope (20).

4. The installation carriage (1 ) according to claim 3, wherein the rotation axes of the pulleys (5) are in a use position of the installation carriage (1 ) horizontal and parallel to the wall (43) against which the wall contact elements (3) support the installation carriage (1 ).

5. The installation carriage (1 ) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the guide means (4) are configured to exert in a use position of the installation carriage (1 ) on the guide rope (20) a force that is perpendicular to the wall (43) against which the wall contact elements (3) support the installation carriage (1 ) and faces away from said wall (43).

6. The installation carriage (1 ) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the installation carriage (1 ) comprises tensioning means (6) for pressing the guide means (4) towards the guide rope (20).

7. The installation carriage (1 ) according to claim 6, wherein the tensioning means (6) comprise mechanical springs and / or gas springs.

8. The installation carriage (1 ) according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the tensioning means (6) comprise a pneumatic, hydraulic or electrical actuator for adjusting the position of the guide means (4) relative to the wall contact wheels (3).

9. The installation carriage (1 ) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the installation carriage (1 ) comprises a vacuum gripping device (30) for applying a suction force to the wall (43) against which the wall contact elements (3) support the installation carriage (1 ) to hold the installation carriage (1 ) against the wall (43) when carrying out a process step relating to said installation of components.

10. The installation carriage (1 ) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the installation carriage (1 ) comprises position monitoring means configured to cooperate with the guide rope (20) to monitor the vertical position of the installation carriage (1 ).

11. The installation carriage (1 ) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said tool (10) is a drilling tool, bolting tool or measurement tool.

12. An installation arrangement for automated or remote-controlled installation of components in an elevator shaft, the installation arrangement comprising a pretensioned guide rope (20) extending in the vertical direction (A) of the elevator shaft, an installation carriage (1 ) according to any of the preceding claims configured to be moveable along the guide rope (20), a hoisting member (21 ) for moving the installation carriage (1 ) in the vertical direction, and at least one tool (10) mounted to the installation carriage (1 ) and configured to carry out at least one process step relating to installation of components in the elevator shaft.

13. A method of installing components to a wall (43) of an elevator shaft using an installation arrangement according to claim 12, the method comprising the steps of- moving the installation carriage (1 ) by means of the hoisting member (21 ) to a height allowing at least one process step relating to the installation of the components to be carried out by the tool (10) of the installation carriage (1 ), and- using said tool (10) automated or remote-controlled to carry out said process step.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein said process step is drilling of a hole for installation of a guide rail bracket (42).

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the method comprises the step of applying a suction force to a wall (43) of the elevator shaft by means of a vacuum gripping device (30) to hold the installation carriage (1 ) against a wall (43) of the elevator shaft while carrying out said process step.

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