Elevator Roller Guide Shoe With Integrated Plastic Preload Lever
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing roller guide shoes for elevators are complex, expensive, and require additional springs for ride comfort, leading to high material and maintenance costs.
Innovation Solution
A roller guide shoe design featuring a support structure with a plate-like base and web sections, incorporating a lever element as a bent component to apply preload to the rollers, eliminating the need for additional springs and using plastic materials for cost-effectiveness and ease of assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional roller guide shoes with three rollers, air springs, coil springs, and elastomeric springs are used, then ride comfort is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the spring function and lever function into a single integrated component - the lever element itself is designed with elastic properties to provide both the mechanical advantage of a lever and the ride comfort of a spring, eliminating the need for separate spring components
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and eliminates unnecessary components from the conventional design, removing air springs, coil springs, and elastomeric springs while retaining the essential functions through the simplified lever element and roller assembly
2Ease of operation
If conventional roller guide shoes with multiple springs and complex components are used, then ride comfort is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple functions into fewer components, particularly integrating the spring function into the lever element itself, which reduces the total number of parts and lowers manufacturing costs while maintaining ride comfort
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs simpler, more cost-effective materials and components that can be manufactured more economically, such as using plastic materials for the lever element and support structure, reducing overall manufacturing expenditure
3Ease of operation
If conventional roller guide shoes with additional springs and complex components are used, then ride comfort is improved, but maintenance requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes multiple spring components (air springs, coil springs, elastomeric springs) from the conventional design, thereby eliminating the maintenance associated with these components while preserving ride comfort through the simplified lever element design
Solution Approach 2:
The lever element is designed to automatically maintain its function without requiring external maintenance or adjustment, with the elastic properties of the lever providing self-regulating ride comfort without needing separate spring components that would require maintenance
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design achieves good ride comfort with fewer components and lower costs, offering simple installation and reduced maintenance, while utilizing plastic materials for weight and manufacturing advantages.
Implementation Method 1
The lever element, designed as a bent component, can be positioned within the roller guide shoe, once the shoe is installed in the elevator, in such a way that the lever element is bent, thereby creating a preload that presses the roller against the guide rail. The at least one roller is mounted to rotate freely at a free end of the lever element.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
The invention relates to a roller guide shoe (1) for guiding an elevator cab or a counterweight, comprising a support structure (6) designed in the form of an injection molded plastic part, running rollers (4, 4', 5), and lever elements (10, 11) arranged between the support structure (6) and the running rollers (4, 4', 5). Each lever element (10, 11) is a single-piece molded body made of plastic and is designed in the form of a bending part in order to apply a pretension to the running rollers (4, 4', 5). The lever element (4, 4', 5) is inserted into a joint cam (16) of the support structure (6), wherein the joint cam (16) engages into a recess (17) on the lever element (10, 11) in order to specify a joint axis. The lever element (10, 11) has two lever arms (12, 13) which define a V shape.