Foldable Elevator Car Frame for Hoistway Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The installation of elevator cars within hoistways is cumbersome, costly, and time-consuming due to restricted spatial access, requiring assembly from individual components within the hoistway.
Innovation Solution
A foldable elevator car frame with pivotable components that can be pre-assembled, introduced through small openings, and unfolded into operational configuration within the hoistway, facilitating faster and cheaper installation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the elevator car is assembled from individual components within the hoistway, then the installation can be performed in-situ, but the process becomes cumbersome, costly, and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The elevator car is divided into modular components (floor platform, ceiling, uprights with hinge assemblies) that can be pre-assembled as a complete unit outside the hoistway, then transported and installed as an integrated structure. This segmentation allows pre-assembly quality control while enabling compact transport through the landing opening.
Solution Approach 2:
The uprights incorporate hinge assemblies that enable the structure to transition dynamically between a compact folded configuration for transport through the landing opening and an extended operational configuration for full elevator car assembly. This dynamic transformation capability resolves the contradiction between compact transport and full operational size.
2Manufacturing precision
If the elevator car frame is pre-assembled outside the hoistway, then assembly quality can be improved, but the frame cannot be introduced through the restricted opening
Solution Approach 1:
The uprights are designed with hinge assemblies allowing them to pivot between extended and folded positions. During transport, the uprights are folded to reduce the frame's vertical dimension to fit through the landing opening. After installation, the uprights are extended to provide full structural height and assembly precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The foldable design allows the ceiling and floor platform components to be nested or folded together in a compact configuration during transport, similar to a nested doll structure. The uprights with hinge assemblies enable this nesting by allowing components to be collapsed into a smaller envelope that fits through the restricted opening while maintaining full operational dimensions when deployed.
3Strength
If the upright is designed as a single rigid piece, then structural strength is maintained, but the frame cannot be folded for transport
Solution Approach 1:
The upright is segmented into multiple portions (first portion, second portion, third portion) connected by hinge assemblies. This segmentation allows the upright to be folded for transport while maintaining structural integrity when extended. The hinge connections are designed to provide sufficient strength for structural support while enabling the folding motion.
Solution Approach 2:
The upright transitions from a static rigid structure to a dynamic articulated structure with hinge assemblies. The hinges allow the upright to adapt its configuration - folded during transport and extended for structural support - resolving the contradiction between rigidity for strength and flexibility for foldability.
4Volume of moving object
If the elevator car is disassembled into components for installation, then it can fit through the opening, but the installation process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The elevator car is segmented into modular components (floor platform, ceiling, uprights with integrated hinge assemblies) that are pre-assembled as complete functional units. This segmentation allows the components to be transported in a compact folded configuration while maintaining relatively simple assembly procedures through the use of standardized hinge connections and modular interfaces.
Data Source
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AI summary
Foldable elevator car frame (20) comprising a ceiling (34), a floor platform (36) and at least one upright (24) extending between the floor platform (36) and the ceiling (34). The foldable elevator car frame (20) further comprises at least one hinge (35) allowing at least a movable portion (36b) of the floor platform (36) and/or a movable portion (34b) of the ceiling (34) to pivot with respect to the at least one upright (24) between a folded transportation configuration and an extended operational configuration.