Elevator Working Platform with Extendable Suspension
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing elevator car maintenance platforms face limitations in range of movement due to their dimensions, particularly in smaller cars, where the height of the platform is crucial for accessing ceiling components and ensuring emergency refuge, and existing suspension mechanisms do not efficiently accommodate these requirements.
Innovation Solution
An extendable suspension arrangement with offset connection points and a pivotable connection plate allows the working platform to achieve a long extension height while maintaining a compact footprint, and a counterforce generator with a tension member assists in moving the platform between operational and stowed positions, reducing the need for manual lifting and ensuring smooth operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If a scissor mechanism is used to suspend the working platform, then the platform can be moved between stowed and operational positions, but the range of movement is limited by the dimensions of the working platform
Solution Approach 1:
The suspension arrangement is divided into two separate arm members (first arm member connected to support frame, second arm member connected to working platform) that can slide independently relative to each other along parallel sliding paths, allowing the extension height to be greater than the footprint dimensions
Solution Approach 2:
The arm members slide in parallel planes rather than in a single plane, utilizing a third dimension (vertical offset between sliding planes) to achieve greater extension height without increasing the horizontal footprint of the working platform
2Area of stationary object
If the working platform is made smaller to fit in smaller elevator cars, then the footprint is reduced, but the height of the platform when deployed is constrained
Solution Approach 1:
The suspension arrangement separates the support frame connection and working platform connection into distinct arm members that slide independently, allowing the extension height to exceed the footprint dimensions even in compact configurations
Solution Approach 2:
The arm members are designed to slide relative to each other dynamically, transitioning from a compact stacked configuration during normal operation to an extended configuration when the working platform is deployed, adapting to space constraints in smaller elevator cars
3Ease of operation
If manual lifting is used to move the working platform between positions, then no additional mechanism is needed, but significant manual effort is required
Solution Approach 1:
A counterforce generator is introduced to provide an upward counterforce that balances the weight of the working platform, significantly reducing the manual effort required to move the platform between stowed and operational positions
Solution Approach 2:
A tension member acts as an intermediary between the counterforce generator and the working platform, transmitting the counterforce to assist in moving the platform while allowing controlled movement and positioning
Data Source
AI summary
An elevator car defining an interior space for accommodating passengers and/or cargo, comprising a support frame positioned above the interior space, a working platform moveable between a stowed position, above the interior space, and an operational position, within the interior space and at least one extendable suspension arrangement arranged to suspend the working platform from the support frame. The extendable suspension arrangement includes a connection plate, a first arm member connected at a first end to the support frame and slidably connected to a first connection point of the connection plate and a second arm member connected at another first end to the working platform and slidably connected to a second connection point of the connection plate.