Elevator Door Guide Mechanism for Narrow Shafts

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing elevator cab and shaft door systems face challenges in narrowed spaces, particularly in achieving a suitable ratio of door guide mechanism width to clear opening width without requiring additional construction width, while ensuring stability and reliability, especially in spaces with dimensions below 1200 mm, where conventional solutions like 4-panel or 6-panel doors are either too complex or inefficient.

Innovation Solution

A system with five door panels suspended on separate carriages movably mounted on three motion tracks, where one central panel is in the rear track, two edge panels in the front track, and two central panels in the middle track, with a guide mechanism width ratio of 1.3 to 1.45 to the clear door width, allowing for adjustable panel positions and wider carriage elements for enhanced stability and reliability.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If conventional 4-panel or 6-panel doors are used in narrowed spaces, then reliability and stability are improved, but device complexity and space requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedoor system reliabilityVSAvoiddoor panel arrangement complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The door system is divided into exactly five panels arranged in a specific configuration: two edge panels on forward motion tracks, two center panels on middle motion tracks, and one central panel on a rear motion track. This segmentation into five distinct panels provides an optimal balance between reliability (through multiple panels) and simplicity (avoiding the complexity of 6 or more panels), directly resolving the technical contradiction.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Area of stationary object

If door guide mechanism width is reduced to fit narrowed shafts, then space utilization is improved, but manufacturing precision and installation accuracy become more critical

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveshaft space utilizationVSAvoiddoor guide mechanism precision
Core Design Contradiction:
Area of stationary objectVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The door guide mechanism incorporates three motion tracks (forward, middle, and rear) that allow dynamic adjustment of panel positions during operation. This dynamic arrangement enables the mechanism to accommodate variations in manufacturing and installation precision while maintaining proper door function, thereby resolving the contradiction between reduced width and increased precision requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent combines multiple functional elements into an integrated door guide mechanism where five panels share three motion tracks. This merging of functions allows the mechanism to achieve the required precision through coordinated movement of multiple panels rather than requiring each individual component to meet extremely tight tolerances, thus resolving the precision challenge in narrowed spaces.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Area of stationary object

If door panels are retracted behind the door frame, then space saving is improved, but the ratio of mechanism width to clear opening width becomes more constrained

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedoor retraction spaceVSAvoidmechanism width adaptability
Core Design Contradiction:
Area of stationary objectVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent utilizes the depth dimension by implementing three motion tracks arranged in depth (forward, middle, rear) rather than only lateral movement. This allows door panels to be retracted behind the door frame by moving them in the depth direction, achieving space saving while maintaining mechanism adaptability through the multi-dimensional motion capability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentEP4382469A1A system of elevator cab and shaft doors for narrowed spaces
Publication Date: 2024.06.12 JEDINÝ, MARTIN
  • EP4382469A1 patent drawingFigure 1a~1b
  • EP4382469A1 patent drawingFigure 2~3a
  • EP4382469A1 patent drawingFigure 3b~3d

AI summary

The system comprises five door panels (1) of doors suspended from separate carriages (2) movably mounted on three door guide tracks (4) such that a single central door panel (1) of doors is mounted in the rear door guide track (4), two door edge panels (1) are mounted in the front motion track (4) of the door guide, and two door central panels (1) are mounted in the central motion track (4) of the door guide, wherein the clear width of the door is between 600 and 900 mm and wherein the width of the door guide mechanism to the clear width of the door is in the ratio of 1,3 to 1,45.