Elevator Service Access Assembly Interior Maintenance

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Solution Overview

Problem

Elevator maintenance and inspection tasks require personnel to be outside the elevator car, posing safety hazards and conflicting with architectural constraints, as traditional systems necessitate external access for assembly and maintenance.

Innovation Solution

A service access assembly that allows equipment like guiding members and safety gear to be installed, inspected, and maintained from within the elevator car's interior region, using a back plate portion with access openings for mechanical fastening to an upright structure, enabling equipment coupling and decoupling without external access.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If traditional assembly and maintenance methods are used, then equipment can be installed and serviced, but personnel must be outside the elevator car in the shaft, creating safety hazards and requiring larger shaft space

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesafety of personnelVSAvoidaccessibility for assembly and maintenance
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The invention reverses the traditional approach by allowing assembly and maintenance operations to be performed from the interior region of the elevator car rather than from the exterior shaft region. The access assembly includes a car top portion with access openings that enable personnel to reach equipment mounted on the upright structure from inside the car, eliminating the need to work outside the car in the shaft.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Reliability

If larger spaces are provided at the top of the elevator shaft and within the pit, then personnel safety is improved, but construction cost increases and architectural constraints are violated

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesafety of personnelVSAvoidelevator shaft volume
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSVolume of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The invention eliminates the need for additional shaft space by inverting the access approach. Instead of requiring large overhead spaces or pit spaces for personnel to work from, the system enables all necessary operations through access openings in the car top portion, allowing personnel to perform tasks from the interior region without requiring expanded shaft dimensions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

3Ease of operation

If equipment is accessible from the exterior region, then assembly and maintenance can be performed, but personnel are exposed to safety hazards in the elevator shaft

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaccessibility for equipmentVSAvoidsafety hazards for personnel
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The invention moves the personnel location from the hazardous exterior shaft region to the safe interior car region while maintaining equipment accessibility. The access assembly includes access openings in the car top portion and a back plate portion that allows personnel to reach and service equipment mounted on the upright structure from inside the car, eliminating exposure to shaft hazards.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

4Strength

If the back plate portion cross-sectional area is larger than the access opening, then equipment can be securely fastened, but the design complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefastening securityVSAvoidassembly structure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The access assembly is divided into distinct functional segments: a car top portion forming access openings, and a back plate portion with a larger cross-sectional area for secure fastening. This segmentation allows the back plate to provide robust mounting surfaces for equipment while the access openings provide controlled access paths, simplifying the overall design by separating structural and access functions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP3280672B1Service access assembly for an elevator car and method
Publication Date: 2022.08.10 OTIS ELEVATOR CO
  • EP3280672B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3280672B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP3280672B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

A service access assembly for an elevator car includes an elevator car 10 having an interior region 18. Also included is at least one upright structure 26 operatively coupled to the elevator car proximate one of a plurality of side walls 16 of the elevator car, the upright structure extending in a longitudinal direction from the car floor 14 to the car roof 12. Further included is an access opening defined by the upright structure, the access opening accessible to the interior region of the elevator car for service activity by a user located in the interior region. Yet further included is at least one piece of equipment (22, 24) operatively coupled to the upright structure and partially protruding through the access opening.