Elevator Flapper Mechanism for Hoistway Travel Blocking
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for simple and reliable safety systems to block elevator car movement during maintenance and inspection, ensuring personnel safety within elevator shafts and hoistways.
Innovation Solution
A travel blocking apparatus comprising a flapper mechanism attached to the elevator car and a prop device in the hoistway, which extends an arm to stop the car's downward movement by contacting the prop device, creating a refuge area for safe maintenance operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional safety systems are used to block elevator car movement, then personnel safety is ensured, but the system becomes complex and difficult to deploy
Solution Approach 1:
The safety system is divided into two independent components: a flapper mechanism attached to the elevator car and a prop device fixed in the hoistway. This segmentation allows each component to be simple in design while together they provide reliable safety blocking, resolving the contradiction between simplicity and effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The prop device is pre-installed and positioned in the hoistway before maintenance operations begin. The flapper mechanism is pre-attached to the car. When needed, the system is activated by a simple manual action that causes the flapper to engage with the prop, providing immediate safety blocking without complex deployment procedures.
2Ease of operation
If a simple blocking mechanism is used, then deployment is easy, but reliability and safety assurance are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The flapper mechanism is designed to automatically engage with the prop device when the car reaches the appropriate position. The geometry of the flapper and prop ensures automatic alignment and engagement, eliminating the need for complex control systems or manual intervention while maintaining high reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The flapper mechanism incorporates curved surfaces that guide engagement with the prop device. The rounded geometry ensures smooth, reliable contact and prevents binding or misalignment, enhancing both the simplicity of operation and the reliability of the safety blocking function.
3Reliability
If the arm extends far outside the car periphery to effectively block movement, then blocking effectiveness is improved, but the device complexity and space requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The flapper mechanism transitions from a retracted position during normal operation to an extended blocking position when activated. This dynamic movement allows the arm to extend only when needed for safety blocking, maintaining effectiveness while minimizing space requirements and mechanical complexity during normal elevator operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A travel blocking apparatus for blocking the movement of a car movably disposed in a hoistway. The travel blocking apparatus includes a flapper mechanism attached to the car and configured, when deployed, to extend an arm outside of an outer side periphery of the car and a prop device disposed in the hoistway and configured to contact the arm when said arm is extended so as to stop the car from moving downwardly in the hoistway.