Elevator Roller Guide Shoe With Emergency Guide Covers

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing elevator guide systems face challenges in providing safe, reliable, and comfortable guidance for elevator cars, particularly in systems using U-shaped guide channels, which often compromise on ride comfort and safety due to issues like roller failure and contamination.

Innovation Solution

A roller guide shoe design featuring two guide rollers and a larger guide roller, mounted on a common axis for optimal front-end guidance, with an emergency guide and cover to prevent contamination, housed in a guide shoe with a support and mounting section, manufactured from high-strength plastic or metal, ensuring reliable and comfortable operation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a guide shoe with a U-shaped guide surface is used, then the guide shoe can accommodate different positions of the counterweight, but the guide shoe requires frequent adjustments and cannot be easily replaced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveadaptability to different counterweight positionsVSAvoidease of replacement
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The guide shoe is divided into a base and a guide surface component that can be separated. The guide surface is formed as a separate element that can be attached to or removed from the base, allowing the guide surface to be replaced without replacing the entire guide shoe assembly. This segmentation enables easy replacement while maintaining adaptability to different counterweight positions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Device complexity

If the guide surface is formed integrally with the base, then the structure is simple, but the guide shoe cannot be easily replaced and requires frequent adjustments

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestructural simplicityVSAvoidease of replacement
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The guide surface is separated from the base as an independent component. The base retains its simple structural form while the guide surface is formed as a separate element that can be easily attached and detached. This segmentation allows the guide surface to be replaced independently without complicating the base structure, resolving the contradiction between structural simplicity and ease of replacement.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Area of stationary object

If the guide surface has a large area, then it can accommodate different counterweight positions, but the guide shoe cannot be easily replaced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveguide surface areaVSAvoidease of replacement
Core Design Contradiction:
Area of stationary objectVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The guide surface is formed as a separate component with the necessary large area to accommodate different counterweight positions. This separate formation allows the guide surface to be manufactured independently with optimized dimensions and then attached to the base, enabling easy replacement of the guide surface without replacing the entire large-area guide shoe assembly.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The guide surface is designed to be nested with or attached to the base structure. This nesting arrangement allows the guide surface to be positioned within or on the base, enabling easy attachment and detachment while maintaining the large area needed for accommodating different counterweight positions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Data Source

PatentEP4359337B1Roller guide shoe for guiding an elevator car of a lift
Publication Date: 2026.05.06 INVENTIO AG
  • EP4359337B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4359337B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP4359337B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

Disclosed is an elevator (10) comprising an elevator cab (2) which is guided on two opposite guide rails (3). The guide rails (3) each contain a U-shaped guide channel (11) having a front guide face (12) and lateral guide faces (13). In order to guide an elevator cab (2), roller guide shoes (1) are provided which each comprise two running rollers (4, 5) mounted on a common axis (19) so as to rotate freely about an axis of rotation (R1) for guidance along the front guide face (12) of the U-shaped guide channel (11) and a guide roller (6) that can be accommodated for the lateral guidance between lateral guide faces (13) of the U-shaped guide channel (11). Covers (15) for covering the respective running rollers (4, 5) are mounted upstream of the running rollers (4, 5), wherein the covers (15) form an emergency guide (14).