AU2005247035A1 - Method of modernising a drive in a lift installation - Google Patents

Description

P001 Section 29 Regulation 3.2(2)

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Application Number: Lodged: Invention Title: Method of modernising a drive in a lift installation The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: Method of modernising a drive in a lift installation Description The invention relates to a method of modernising a drive of a lift installation according to the introductory part of the independent patent claim.

A lift installation has the object of transporting persons and goods within a building Sbetween storeys. A cage serves for receiving the persons and goods. A drive drives, by Smeans of support means, the cage, which is thereby moved up and down in a vertically Sextending shaft. The support means connects the cage with a counterweight. In that case it is guided over a drive pulley. The drive pulley transmits the force, which is required for moving or stopping, to the support means. The drive pulley is for that purpose driven or stopped by a drive device and/or by a braking device. Another drive type drives the cage by means of hydraulic stroke apparatus. The driving and stopping force is in that case transmitted to the cage by a pump unit acting directly by way of a piston or acting indirectly by means of a cable or chain pull.

The two drive types have specific service characteristics and in addition are subject to wear. The service characteristics are, for example, the travel speed or support load for which the lift installation is designed. Wear arises, for example, due to a longer-term utilisation of the lift installation, which leads to wear phenomena of components of the lift installation. If the service demands change or if the wear is too large, the existing drive or if need be the entire lift installation has to be replaced or renewed.

In order to cover a widest possible field of use in the replacement of existing lift drives or entire lift installations by a few components, drive engines which are usable universally or in modular manner and simple methods for replacement of lift drives are required.

Today, usual modernisation methods of drives replace an existing drive as a rule by a constructionally identical or a similar type, which is installed at the location of the existing drive, or the entire lift installation is renewed at the same time. A disadvantage of this method is that uncomfortably long conversion times arise for the lift user. Longer conversion times are to that extent uncomfortable because the lift installation during the conversion is no longer available for transport and the conversion is necessarily connected O with noise which, for example, is produced by necessary constructional adaptations in the building.

The object of the invention is now to provide a method for modernisation of a drive of a lift installation which is usable in optimum manner in existing buildings, i.e. conversion time shall be reduced and constructional adaptation shall be largely eliminated.

General aspects such as high safety standard, economic procedures and assembly are obviously to be taken into consideration.

The solution defined in the independent patent claim fulfils this object.

A lift installation contains a drive, a cage held at support means and a counterweight. The cage and the counterweight are arranged in a vertically extending shaft to be movable up and down in opposite directions. The support means connects the cage with the counterweight and the support means is supported and driven by the drive by means of at least one drive pulley.

The new drive is of modular construction. It consists at least of the drive pulley and of at least one motor required for driving the drive pulley. The motor and the drive pulley are preferably assembled to form a drive module. The core function of the drive is looked after by this drive module. As a rule, the drive module also contains a braking device. The drive module can be supplemented by a deflecting module so as to enable adjustability of the support means spacing. The drive module and the deflecting module are preferably connected together by means of an extension which enables setting of a requisite support means spacing. The support means spacing is the distance between a part, which runs to the drive, of the support means run and a part, which runs away from the drive, of the support means run.

The drive module and/or the deflecting module is or are provided with connecting parts which can be used for fastening the drive within the shaft or in the engine room.

According to the invention the modernisation of an existing lift drive is carried out in that the new drive is arranged outside the space occupied by the existing drive. The advantage of this method consists in that the existing drive is available for a lengthy period 0 of time for operation of the lift installation. In particular, it can be used for the purpose of transporting the new drive in its entirety or in modules into the vicinity of the installing location, preferably an uppermost storey. The new drive can be assembled and/or completed as required in the vicinity of the installing location and prepared for final mounting. During this time the lift installation is still available for the lift users. In a very short conversion time the existing support means can now be removed, the new drive mounted and the support means reinstalled and the lift installation is already available again for transport tasks or for lift users. The existing drive unit, which is no longer needed, does not impair operation of the modernised lift installation and according to choice it can be left at its location mounting or dismantled when there is an opportunity and, for example, transported by the modernised lift installation to a storey suitable for disposal of the material.

The method for replacing a lift drive in a lift installation can be used in optimum manner in existing buildings. It does not require any constructional measures, or requires only a few constructional measures, to enable installation of a new lift drive in an existing shaft space.

A high safety standard is given, since existing items of equipment can be used to the largest extent and the transport of heavy loads is eliminated. The method enables economic procedures, since the lifting installation can be used for a long period of time and the standstill times are thereby significantly shortened, particularly because no further transport apparatus such as, for example, a crane or a helicopter has to be hired.

Further advantageous solutions are described in the dependent claims.

Advantageous embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example in the following figures Fig. 1 to Fig. 12.

Fig. 1 is an example of a lift installation with a modular drive according to the invention for possible use in the case of a conversion, with direct or 1:1 suspension, Fig. 2 is a three-dimensional view of a modular drive, Fig. 3 is a further three-dimensional view of a modular drive, Q) Fig. 4 is a three-dimensional view of a drive module, Figs. 4a to 4c are examples of looping, Figs. 4d to 4f are, by way of example, layouts of support means, Fig. 5 is a first example of installing a modular drive mounted on a shaft roof, Fig. 6 is a second example of installing a modular drive mounted on a shaft roof,

O

Fig. 7 is a third example of installing a modular drive mounted below a shaft roof, Fig. 8 is a side view of a modular drive mounted below a shaft roof, Fig. 9 is an example of a deflecting module, Fig. 10 is an example of a deflecting module with extensions, Fig. 11 is an illustration of a mounting method, Fig. 12 is an example of a lift installation with a modular drive according to the invention for possible use in the case of conversion with a drive unit, lying underneath/laterally, and 2:1 suspension, and Fig. 13 is an illustration of a shaft cross-section with an arrangement, by way of example, of cage, counterweight relative to shaft wall.

Fig. 1 and Fig. 12 show examples of lift installations 1 with cage 3 and counterweight 4, which are held at support means 2 and which are movable up and down in opposite direction in a vertically extending shaft 5. A new drive 7 mounted below a shaft roof 6 carries and drives the support means 2 and the cage 3 and counterweight 4 held by means of the support means 2. In the illustrated examples an existing lift installation 1 with an engine room 8 is provided with a new drive 7. In this connection Fig. 1 shows an example with an engine room 8 which, prior to the conversion, lies at the top and is redesigned by means of direct or 1:1 suspension. Fig. 12 shows an example with an 0 engine room 8 which, prior to the conversion, is arranged underneath/laterally and associated roller arrangement 33, which is redesigned by means of 2:1 suspension. A selected looping factor is denoted by suspension. In the case of 1:1 the support means 2 is fixedly connected with the cage 3 and counterweight 4 and in the case of 2:1 suspension the support means is connected with respect to cage 3 and counterweight 4 by means of a deflecting roller. The space originally required by the old or existing drive engine 9 is not needed for the new drive 7 in the two examples. The new drive 7 is arranged outside the constructional space required by the old or existing drive 9. The old drive engine 9 can, as shown in the examples, be left in the mounted state and demounted at a later point in time or the existing drive 9 can, for example, be disposed of with use of the cage 3 as transport container. The former engine room 8 can be used for other tasks.

A control 10 needed for the new drive 7 can be arranged in the former engine room 8 or in the access region of a storey door or at another location, preferably in the vicinity of the drive 7. The modernisation can thereby be completed in a particularly short time. The standstill times of the lift installation are short. This is particularly economic.

Advantageously the position of cage 3 and counterweight 4 relative to one another and with respect to the shaft space boundaries 36, as illustrated in Figs. 1, 11, 12 and 13, remains substantially unchanged. This enables, in particular, a reduction in the conversion time, since existing installations can be left and the modernisation costs are small.

Expensive adaptations of the building structure are eliminated. The unchanged position of cage 3 and counterweight 4 relative to one another and with respect to shaft space boundaries 36 means that the position of guide rails 34, 35 is substantially unchanged even when optional guide rails 34, 35 are replaced. Essentially this means that small displacements are possible, such as can result due to production or when, for example, the cage 3 with or without associated guide rails 35 is shifted in order to create space for a door extension 37, as illustrated in Fig. 13 by means of displacement vj, v 2 The new drive 7 is, as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, of modular construction. A drive module 11 is provided with a drive pulley 12 for the support means 2 of the cage 3 and counterweight 4, with a motor 21 required for driving the drive pulley 12 and, in the illustrated example, with a braking device 14 required for braking the drive pulley 12. The drive device 13 and the drive pulley 12 are, as illustrated by way of example in Fig. 4, assembled to form a drive module 11. In a modular design the drive module 11 is provided with interfaces 15. These interfaces 15 enable connection of connecting parts O 16. These connecting parts 16 selectably enable fastening of the drive module 11 within the shaft 5, for example to the shaft roof 6 as apparent in Figs. 1, 7 and 8, to the floor of a conventional engine room 8 as illustrated in Fig. 5, or on the pedestals 17 of a previously demounted old drive engine 9 as shown in Fig. 6, or on a beam 32 as apparent in Fig. 12.

The interfaces 15 enable connection of an extension 18 to which a deflecting module 19 is connected, as illustrated in, for example, Figs. 1, 2 and 3. The extension 18 together with the drive module 11 and the deflecting module 19 enables setting of the support means spacing in correspondence with the requirements of the lift installation 1. The deflecting module 19 in turn contains interfaces 15 which enable connection of fastenings such as are used for the drive module 11.

The interface 15 of the drive module 11 and the interface 15 of the deflecting module 19 are preferably of identical construction. This enables simple assembly, since no possibility of confusion exists when the extension 18 is mounted.

The extension 18 and the deflecting module 19 are constructed in such a manner that the constructional height of the drive 7 is not changed by the assembly of drive module 11, extension 18 and deflection module 19. The interfaces 18 are designed to be appropriate to function. They enable a modular composition of the drive 7 in accordance with the requirements of the building.

An additional advantage results from the fact that the individual modules and parts can be separately transported to the assembly location. The transport units are thereby small and have a low individual weight. They can, for example, be transported by an old lift installation 9, which is'intended for conversion, into the vicinity of the installing location in the building.

The advantage of this invention is to be seen in that this drive 7 is best suited to the replacement of an existing drive 9 in that it is adaptable in optimum manner to existing buildings, i.e. it can be arranged not only within the shaft 5, but also in an existing engine room 8. The support means spacing is, in addition, adjustable in simple manner. The setting of the support means spacing does not influence the constructional height of the drive 7.

o As illustrated in Fig. 4 by way of example, the drive module 11 is selectably provided with Sa guide roller 20 which ensures a looping, which is dependent on the support means Sspacing, of the drive pulley 12 by the support means 2. If the support means 2 is deflected with the use of the guide roller 20, the looping angle is 900 to 1800. This looping can be varied by the arrangement of the guide roller 20. As a rule a looping angle in the vicinity of 1800 is desired. The advantage of this arrangement is to be seen in that the looping angle can be defined independently of the support means spacing. The drive module 11 can also be employed directly, without use of the guide roller 20. In that case a C' looping angle of 900 or 1800 results depending on the respective arrangement, as Sillustrated in the schematic diagrams of Figs. 4a, 4b and 4c.

The support means 2 has, as illustrated in Figs. 4d to 4f, a substantially round crosssection or it has a substantially flat cross-section, wherein the surface serving for transmission of the drive force is flat, longitudinally structured, toothed, pimpled, apertured or of any other structure or the support means 2 has an arbitrary cross-section. The drive pulley is constructed in such a manner that the transmission of the drive force from the drive pulley to the support means 2 is made possible in functionally appropriate manner.

The drive 7 is not limited to a specific support means 2. It is suitable for a number of support profile shapes. It is advantageous if use is made of support means 2 suitable for small deflection radii. The drive 7 can thereby be constructed to be particularly small.

The drive module 11 is provided with interfaces 15, which enable attachment of several connecting parts 16. The advantage of this embodiment results from the universal usability of the drive module 11. The interfaces 15 enable attachment of the connecting parts 16 required for a specific lift installation. The interfaces 15 are, as apparent in Figs.

3, 4, 9 and 10, for example slots or hole arrangements or clamping jaws for reception of connecting means. The connecting parts 16 are selectably extension 18, deflecting module 19 or suspension or support modules 25, 26 or they are support-means end connections 27 or further auxiliary means. The embodiment of the drive module 11 with functionally appropriate interfaces 15 enables use of the drive module 11 for many kinds of lifts and this enables a rational and economic production of the product.

A first advantageous connecting part 16 is an extension 18, which is arranged by one end region at the interface 15 of the drive module 11, a deflecting module 19 being fastened to the other end region thereof. The deflecting module 19 has an interface 15 identical to the Sdrive module. An adaptation of the drive 7 to the required support means spacing is made possible by means of the extension 18 and the design of the interface 15 for the drive and deflecting module. Existing lift installations 1 have a specific form of suspension of the cage 3 or the counterweight 4. A characteristic spacing of the support means run (support means spacing), which usually extends from the middle of the cage 3 in vertical projection to the middle of the counterweight 4, results from this form of suspension. The advantage of the extension 18 is that a setting of the support means spacing is possible.

c- Universal driving and deflecting modules can thus be used, which in turn enables a rational production of the drive. The deflecting module 19 and the drive module 11 have c- the same interfaces 15. This is particularly advantageous, since the possibilities of design thereby increase. Thus, for example, two drive modules 11 can be used instead of the arrangement of drive module 11 and deflecting module 19. The performance of the drive system can thereby be significantly increased.

The interface 15 of the drive module 11 and of the deflecting module 19 for the extension 18 enables a fine adjustment capability of the support means spacing. This advantageous embodiment allows setting to the actually present support means spacing. Thus, no diagonal tension results, whereby wear of the support means 2 is reduced.

A further advantageous connecting part 16 is a suspension module 25 which is arranged at the interface 15 of the drive module 11 and/or of the deflecting module 19, which enables suspension of the drive at a shaft roof 6, or another connecting part 16 is a support module 26 which is arranged at the interface 15 of the drive module 11 and/or the deflecting module 19, which enables fastening of the drive 7 in an engine room 8 or to a shaft wall. The support module 26 is, for example, used as illustrated in Fig. 12 in order to arrange the new drive 7 in place of existing deflecting rollers 33. The new drive 7 is in this connection fastened to beams 32. The beams 32 are usually, as apparent in Fig. 12, supported in niches in the wall or connected by means of brackets to the shaft wall or a support frame. Alternatively or additionally the new drive 7 can also be fastened to counterweight guide rails 34 and/or cage guide rails 35, insofar as these are appropriately dimensioned. The suspension or support modules 25, 26 are advantageously provided with noise-damping or vibration-damping materials. The advantage of this arrangement is to be seen in that a fastening corresponding with the type of building can be selected. The suspension module 25 advantageously employs threaded rods or support rods enabling 0 adjustment of the installation height. A new drive engine 7 can thus be levelled in simple manner.

The suspension module 25 utilises, for example, existing openings in the shaft roof 6 or in the floor of the engine room 8 disposed thereabove in order to suspend the drive 7 at the shaft roof 6, wherein the counter-plates required in the engine room 8 are constructed to be long and narrow and are arranged between the existing engine pedestals 17.

Depending on the construction of the engine room 8 the counter-plates can have different shapes, as may be feasible for the arrangement. In the case of need they can be constructed to be, for example, round.

It is particularly advantageous with this embodiment that possible engine pedestals 17 which were used for fastening an old drive 9 can be left. This reduces the conversion time and the costs connected therewith. If necessary, individual interfaces 15 and associated connection parts are constructed as integrated components of the drive 7. Thus, for example, a support module 26 can be constructed as a fixed component of the drive module or deflecting module.

The drive module 11 and/or deflecting module 19 is or are advantageously provided with support means end connections 27. In that case it is of advantage that the interfaces with respect to the building are reduced, since all supporting forces are led from cage 3 and counterweight 4 to the drive unit 7 and are conducted by way of the suspension points of the drive 7 into the building.

The arrangement of the suspensions enables use of a 2:1 suspended arrangement in the case of lift installations 1 which were suspended directly or 1:1 in the old construction.

This arrangement is made possible by a particularly advantageous design of the support means end connections. This is advantageous, since small drives can be used, whereby the space requirement remains low.

In a useful enhancement the drive module 11 and/or deflecting module 19 is or are provided with an interface 15 for fastening an auxiliary hoist 28. The auxiliary hoist 28 serves for the movement, which is due to the assembly, of lift material and/or assembly personnel. This enhancement allows a particularly efficient course of assembly of the drive 7 according to the invention, as illustrated by way of example in Fig. 11.

SThe drive 7 according to the invention is transported with the help of the old lift installation 1 into the vicinity of the installing location, preferably to the uppermost storey 30, and is completed there with the necessary connecting parts 16. The old cage 3 is now fixed and secured in the vicinity of the uppermost stop 30 and the old support elements demounted.

The roof of the cage 3 can for that purpose be used as a work platform. The drive 7 according to the invention is now raised to the shaft roof 6 preferably with use of the already existing cable passages and a traction device 29 mounted in the engine room 8 and is fastened by means of the suspension module 25. The new support means 2 can now be moved in. After electrical connection has been effected the lift cage can transfer to an assembly operation and the cage can be moved, the remaining items of shaft equipment being able to be replaced depending on the respective conversion agreement.

In addition, in that case the cage roof is advantageously used as an assembly platform.

During this assembly operation possible components of the old engine room equipment, such as drive engine, control box, etc., are transported to a suitable storey. A suitable storey is, for example, a storey which can be easily reached for transport purposes. An auxiliary hoist 28 is not required in this example and the lift installation 1 is again available to the customer after a short conversion time.

The control 10 and/or drive regulation belonging to the lift is or are advantageously arranged in the engine room 8. Alternatively, it or they can also be arranged entirely or partly in the shaft 5 or at a readily accessible location, preferably in the vicinity of the drive.

In the case of conversion of existing lift installations 1 an engine room 8 is frequently present. Depending on the building the engine room 8 at least in part cannot be otherwise employed. The old drive 9 is partly disposed on a shaft superstructure, which ensures a sufficient safety spacing of the cage roof from the shaft head or the components installed therein. It thus stands in an elevated position within the engine room 8. The engine room 8 is consequently, particularly in this part region, not usable to the full height. This part region of the engine room 8 is available for arrangement of the new control 10 and/or drive regulation. The electrical connection to the drive 7 is as a rule possible in simple manner via existing passages in the shaft roof 6. The best arrangement of the control 10 and/or the drive regulation can be selected in dependence on the existing arrangement or possibility of use of the engine room 8. In that case it is particularly advantageous that an existing engine 8, or possible parts thereof, no longer required for the purpose of the lift 11 o installation 1 are freed for a different use. A corresponding part of the engine room 8 can Sbe separated by an intermediate wall.

The illustrated methods are examples. Combinations are possible. Thus, on occasion only the drives are renewed or, for example, the entire installation, inclusive of cage, counterweight, etc., is renewed.

Claims (6)

1. Method of modernising a drive of a lift installation, wherein an existing drive is replaced by a new drive characterised in that the new drive is arranged outside the space occupied by the existing drive S2. Method according to claim 1, characterised in that the position of cage and counterweight relative to one another and with respect to shaft space boundaries (36) remains substantially unchanged.

3. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the new drive is transported in its entirety or in modules by means of the existing drive and the cage into the vicinity of the installing location, preferably an uppermost storey the new drive is if required assembled and/or completed in the vicinity of the installing location and the new drive is raised in the shaft head (31) and fastened, wherein advantageously a traction or hoist device (29) is used for the raising.

4. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the traction or hoist device (29) is fastened in a machine room with use of already existing shaft roof openings and preferably existing shaft roof openings, in which suspension modules (25) serving for fastening of the new drive are formed, are used for fastening the new drive or that the new drive is fastened in the shaft head (31) by means of beams (32). Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the new drive is assembled from a drive module a deflecting module (19) and an extension (18) enabling adaptation of the new drive to a requisite support means spacing and/or that a suspension factor of the lift installation which is direct or 1:1 is suspended or is increased to 2:1.

6. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the cage after transport of the new drive and any further mounting material and/or replacement material into the vicinity of the installing location has been carried out is fixed in the region of the uppermost storey (30) and the cage roof is used as assembly platform. S 7. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the Sfastening of the new drive is carried out by means of a support rod, preferably by means of a threaded rod, by means of which a supporting force is introduced into the shaft ceiling directly from the drive module (11) and/or deflecting module (19).

8. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that new Ssupport means are laid over the drive and connected with the cage or with a counterweight with use of the cage roof as assembly platform.

9. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterised in that the new drive is used in order to transport components of the old drive and/or further, old lift parts to be replaced, preferably with use of the cage as a transport container, to a storey suitable for disposal of these parts and/or that further, new lift components are transported by means of the new drive, preferably with use of the cage as a transport container, into the vicinity of the installing location thereof or to this location. Method according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that an auxiliary hoist (28) is mounted at the new drive wherein the new drive has a corresponding fastening point and the cage is moved by means of this auxiliary hoist (28) and that components of the old drive and/or further, old lift parts to be replaced are transported, preferably with use of the cage as a transport container, to a storey suitable for disposal of these parts and/or that further, new lift components are transported by means of the auxiliary hoist preferably with use of the cage as a transport container, into the vicinity of the transport location thereof or to this location. DATED this 22nd day of December 2005 INVENTIO AG WATERMARK PATENT TRADEMARK ATTORNEYS 290 BURWOOD ROAD HAWTHORN VIC 3122