Elevator Pit Barrier for Reduced Vertical Clearance
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge is to reduce the pit depth and minimum free vertical clearance between the elevator pit floor and the lowest parts of the car while maintaining safety for personnel working in the pit, as existing regulations require a specific minimum clearance that increases the space occupied by elevator installations.
Innovation Solution
A height-adjustable, flexible barrier is placed in the pit to deter personnel from entering areas of reduced vertical clearance, which can be deformable and take the form of interconnected flexible uprights, a net, or U-shaped channels with sliders, ensuring safety and allowing for easy maintenance access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the pit depth is reduced to save space, then the volume of the elevator installation is reduced, but the safety of personnel working in the pit is compromised due to insufficient vertical clearance
Solution Approach 1:
A barrier is introduced as an intermediary element between the elevator car and the pit floor. This barrier physically separates the hazardous area (where clearance is insufficient) from the safe working area, allowing personnel to work in the pit without risk of entrapment between the car and pit floor, thus enabling reduced pit depth while maintaining safety
Solution Approach 2:
The barrier is designed as a simple, cost-effective structure that can be easily installed and removed. It serves its protective function during maintenance operations and can be displaced when the elevator car needs to pass through, making it a temporary but effective safety solution
2Reliability
If a fixed rigid barrier is used to protect personnel, then safety is improved, but the barrier may be damaged if the car travels into it and requires complicated moving parts
Solution Approach 1:
The barrier is designed to be movable rather than fixed. It can be easily displaced by the elevator car when needed and returned to its protective position when not in use. This dynamic behavior eliminates the need for complicated automated moving parts while maintaining both safety and functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The barrier employs flexible elements such as fabric panels or thin-walled structures that can deform under load from the elevator car. This flexibility allows the barrier to absorb impact without damage while maintaining its protective function, eliminating the need for complex mechanical protection systems
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 barrier effectively reduces the required vertical clearance, allowing for a more compact elevator installation while preventing accidental entrapment and injury, thus meeting safety and space-saving objectives.
Implementation Method 1
the flexible uprights will automatically deform to a reduced height
Implementation Method 2
the linkage means and sliders moved downwards in the channels against the biasing force
Data Source
AI summary
An elevator installation includes a car within a shaft, a buffer mounted in a pit of the shaft and a barrier located in the pit surrounding or within an area wherein a vertical clearance between the pit floor and the car or equipment mounted thereon is less than a regulatory threshold value when the car fully compresses the buffer. The barrier acts to physically deter personnel within the pit from inadvertent presence in the area of reduced vertical clearance.