HK1098447B

HK1098447B - Method for installing an elevator, elevator and assembly module for elevator

Info

Publication number: HK1098447B
Application number: HK07104858.6A
Authority: HK
Inventors: Jorma Mustalahti; Esko Aulanko
Original assignee: 通力股份公司
Priority date: 2004-03-18
Filing date: 2005-03-04
Publication date: 2010-06-04

Description

Elevator installation method, elevator and assembly module of elevator

Technical Field

The invention relates to an elevator installation method; an elevator assembled by the method; and an elevator delivery assembly.

Background

One of the objectives in elevator development work is to achieve efficient and economical utilization of building space. In recent years, this development work has produced, among other things, a number of elevator solutions without machine room. Some good examples of elevators without machine room are disclosed in specifications EP 0631967(a1) and EP 0631968. Elevators according to these specifications are fairly efficient in respect of space utilization, as they make it possible to eliminate the space required for the machine room in the building without the need to enlarge the elevator shaft. The machine used in elevators according to these specifications is compact in at least one direction, but can be much larger than a normal elevator machine in other directions.

In these basically good elevator solutions, the space and placement of the hoisting function limits the freedom of choice in elevator lay-out solutions. Various arrangements for the passage of the hoisting ropes require space. The space required by the elevator car itself on its track, and likewise the space required by the counterweight, cannot be easily reduced at least at a reasonable cost without impairing the performance and quality of the elevator run. In a traction sheave elevator without machine room, it is often difficult to install the hoisting machine in the elevator shaft, especially in the case of solutions with machine above, because the hoisting machine is a fairly heavy and large object. Especially in the case of elevators for larger loads, speeds and/or hoisting heights, the size and weight of the machine are a problem in respect of installation, even so much so that the required machine size and weight have in fact limited the scope of application of the concept of elevator without machine room, or at least delayed the introduction of said concept in larger elevators. The space available in the elevator shaft in elevator modernization projects has often limited the scope of application of the concept of elevator without machine room. Often, especially in the case of modernization or replacement of hydraulic elevators, it has been impractical to apply roped elevator solutions without machine, because of insufficient space in the elevator shaft, especially in situations where no counterweight is used in the hydraulic elevator solution to be modernized/replaced. The drawbacks of elevators provided with a counterweight include the cost of the counterweight and the space required for the counterweight in the elevator shaft. Drum driven elevators, which are currently installed very sparsely, have the disadvantage that the hoisting machine is heavy and complicated and that the power and/or torque required by it is large. Prior-art elevator solutions without counterweight are exotic and no suitable solution is seen. Heretofore, it has not been technically or economically reasonable to make elevators without counterweight. Such a solution is disclosed in specification WO 9806655. The recent international patent application PCT/FI 03/60818 discloses a possible elevator solution without counterweight unlike prior-art solutions. In prior-art elevator solutions without counterweight, the tensioning of the hoisting rope is implemented using a weight or spring, which is not an attractive approach for implementing the tensioning of the hoisting rope. Another problem with elevators without counterweight when long ropes are used, e.g. due to a large hoisting height or large suspension ratios used, is the compensation of rope elongations and, at the same time, the friction between the traction sheave and the hoisting ropes due to rope elongations is insufficient for the operation of the elevator. In the case of hydraulic elevators, in particular hydraulic elevators in which the lifting force is exerted from below, the shaft efficiency, i.e. the ratio of the shaft cross-sectional area taken up by the elevator car to the total cross-sectional area of the elevator shaft, is relatively high. This has traditionally been a significant reason why hydraulic elevators have been purposely selected for use in buildings. On the other hand, hydraulic elevators have a number of disadvantages related to their lifting principle and oil use. Hydraulic elevators have a high energy consumption, and the possibility of oil leakage from the equipment is an environmental hazard, and the need to change oil regularly results in high costs, and even elevator installations in good condition may result in olfactory disadvantages as small amounts of oil escape into the elevator shaft or machine room and from there further to other parts of the building and into the surroundings, etc. Modernization of the hydraulic elevator by replacing it with another type of elevator is not an attractive solution for the owner of the elevator due to the hoistway efficiency of the elevator, since although this other type of elevator may allow avoiding the disadvantages of a hydraulic elevator, it would require the use of a smaller elevator car. Hydraulic elevators also have a small machine space, which can be located at a certain distance from the elevator shaft, making it difficult to change elevator models.

A large number of traction sheave elevators have been installed and are in use. They were made at first according to the requirements set by the user and the desired use of the relative building. Later on, both the customer needs and the actual needs of the building have changed in many cases, and old traction sheave elevators may have been insufficient in respect of elevator car size or in other respects. For example, old elevators of a relatively small size are not necessarily suitable for transporting trolleys or wheelchairs. On the other hand, in old buildings that have been moved from residential use to office or other use, the originally installed smaller elevator is no longer sufficient in capacity. As is known, it is practically impossible to increase the size of such a traction sheave elevator because the elevator car and the counterweight already fill the cross-sectional area of the elevator shaft and the elevator car cannot be expanded reasonably.

Disclosure of Invention

A general object of the present invention is to achieve at least one of the following objects. One object of the invention is to develop the elevator without machine room so as to achieve a more efficient space utilization in the building and in the elevator shaft than before. This means that the elevator should allow installation in a relatively narrow elevator shaft if necessary. An object is to achieve an elevator in which the elevator hoisting ropes have a good grip on the traction sheave. Another object of the invention is to implement an elevator solution without counterweight without compromising on the properties of the elevator. It is also an item to eliminate the undesired effect of rope elongation. Another object of the invention is to achieve a more efficient use of the space in the elevator shaft above and below the elevator car in the case of an elevator without counterweight than in the past. A particular object is to achieve an efficient method of installing a traction sheave elevator without counterweight in an elevator shaft. Another object is to reduce the amount of work and time required in the actual installation process.

The object or objects of the invention should be achieved without compromising the possibility of changing the basic layout of the elevator.

To achieve the above object, according to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for installing an elevator, the elevator to be installed comprising a structure containing components of the elevator car, a number of diverting pulleys adapted to be mounted in the upper part of the elevator shaft, a number of diverting pulleys adapted to be mounted in the lower part of the elevator shaft, a number of upward diverting pulleys adapted to be mounted on the structure, a number of downward diverting pulleys adapted to be mounted on the structure, and a number of hoisting ropes, the method comprising:

a plurality of hoisting ropes that are part of an assembly module comprising the structure are taken to the elevator installation site,

-at least some of the diverting pulleys adapted to be mounted in the upper part of the elevator shaft, at least some of the diverting pulleys adapted to be mounted in the lower part of the elevator shaft and at least some of the diverting pulleys adapted to be mounted on the structure are fitted to the structure,

pre-roping said at least some of the diverting pulleys adapted to be mounted in the upper part of the elevator shaft, said at least some of the diverting pulleys adapted to be mounted in the lower part of the elevator shaft and at least some of said at least some of the diverting pulleys adapted to be mounted on the structure with said plurality of hoisting ropes,

the structure and the diverting pulleys on the structure are introduced into the elevator shaft to be installed in their respective positions in the elevator shaft.

Preferably the number of diverting pulleys adapted to be mounted in the upper part of the elevator shaft is hoisted to the upper part of the elevator shaft by means of the structure.

Preferably, with the structure a working platform is formed, and by working from this platform at least some of the plurality of elevator guide rails and the number of diverting pulleys adapted to be mounted in the upper part of the elevator shaft are mounted in place in the elevator shaft.

Preferably, the method further comprises:

the lower sections of elevator car guide rails are installed in the elevator hoistway,

the structure is placed in the elevator shaft so that it is guided by the lower car guide rails of the elevator car guide rails,

the assembly of the elevator car is completed partially or completely,

lifting the partially assembled elevator car or the fully assembled elevator car in an elevator shaft by means of a hoisting machine, and

installing the remaining elevator car guide rails by working from the top of the partially assembled elevator car or the fully assembled elevator car.

Preferably, the elevator is without counterweight.

Preferably, to the structure are fitted all diverting pulleys adapted to be mounted in the upper part of the elevator shaft, all diverting pulleys adapted to be mounted in the lower part of the elevator shaft and all diverting pulleys adapted to be mounted on the structure.

Preferably the elevator to be installed also comprises a compensating device.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an assembly module of an elevator, including:

a structure including components of an elevator car;

a plurality of diverting pulleys adapted to be mounted on an upper portion of an elevator hoistway;

a plurality of diverting pulleys adapted to be mounted in a lower portion of an elevator hoistway;

a plurality of up-diverting pulleys adapted to be mounted on the structure;

a plurality of downward diverting pulleys adapted to be mounted on the structure; and

a plurality of hoisting ropes are provided,

at least some of the diverting pulleys adapted to be mounted in the upper part of the elevator shaft are fitted to the structure;

at least some of the diverting pulleys adapted to be mounted in the lower part of the elevator shaft are fitted to the structure;

at least some of the diverting pulleys adapted to be mounted on the structure are fitted to the structure; and

the plurality of hoisting ropes is passed around at least some of the fitted diverting pulleys.

Preferably, the elevator assembly module further comprises: a hoisting machine; wherein the hoisting machine is mounted to the structure.

Inventive embodiments are also presented in the description part of the present application. The inventive content disclosed in the application can also be defined in different other ways. The inventive content may also consist of several separate inventions, especially if the invention is considered in the light of explicit or implicit sub-tasks or in respect of advantages or sets of advantages achieved. The features of the different embodiments and applications of the invention may also be combined in other ways than those described herein. The features contained within the following technical solutions may be superfluous from the point of view of separate inventive concepts.

By applying the invention, one or more of the following advantages may be achieved, among others:

the invention can install the elevator in a simple way and simultaneously reduce the installation time; the time for installation is shortened and the total installation cost is reduced;

the roping of the elevator, i.e. the installation of the hoisting ropes on the rope pulleys of the elevator, can be at least partly carried out beforehand, so that the amount of work required during the actual elevator installation is saved. Making the elevator from pre-assembled modules also speeds up installation and prevents installation errors. This makes it possible to achieve cost savings, since a plurality of work stages can be carried out in a workshop environment more easily, more quickly and also in a more cost-effective manner than at the installation site.

So-called "single installation" is possible for a significant portion of the installation time, or even for the entire installation, so that the progress of the installation is not delayed by the waiting time that occurs when several persons work together; the savings in installation time can be as high as one third; the working safety is improved because the working time in the hoistway is reduced.

Since the diverting pulleys for the upper part of the shaft and the machine are mounted on guide rails, no separate steel member reducing the space of the shaft above the elevator car needs to be provided at the upper end of the elevator shaft;

by applying the invention, the effective utilization of the cross-sectional area of the shaft can be realized.

Installation in the shaft is easy because a module comprising car structural parts, such as the car frame and/or the car ceiling and/or the car floor, and rope pulleys for the upper part of the shaft, rope pulleys for the lower part of the shaft and rope pulleys of the elevator car, preferably also the hoisting machine, roping arrangements previously made on the rope pulleys and rope reels containing the tail ends of the ropes of the roping arrangements and included in the module, can be introduced into the shaft by means of a pump-type hoisting machine or the like via the shaft door opening or via the shaft ceiling by means of the hoisting machine.

Installation can be performed correctly, while by using a relatively large installation module the risk of parts falling out of the distribution assembly is greatly reduced;

although the invention is primarily intended for use in elevators without machine room, it can also be applied in elevators with machine room, in which case the hoisting ropes need to be passed separately via the hoisting machine in the machine room or the traction sheave of the hoisting machine needs to be arranged to be mounted in the elevator shaft.

Preferred suspension ratios above and below the elevator car are 2: 1, 6: 1, 10: 1, etc. Other suspension ratios may be used, such as 8: 1 or other even ratios. In rope suspension, the suspension ratio may be an odd ratio, such as 7: 1 or 9: 1, if the ends of the hoisting ropes are attached to the elevator car.

Symmetrical suspension of the elevator car relative to the elevator car is easy to achieve at least in the preferred embodiments of the invention.

The main field of application of the invention is elevators designed for transporting people and/or freight. A common field of application of the invention is elevators whose speed range is about or below 1.0m/s but can also be higher. For example, an elevator operating at a speed of 0.6m/s is easily implemented according to the invention.

In the elevator of the invention, normal elevator ropes, such as generally used steel wire ropes, are available. Elevators may use ropes of synthetic material and rope structures with synthetic fibre load-bearing parts, such as e.g. so-called "aramid" ropes, which have recently been proposed for use in elevators. Steel reinforced flat belts are also a useful solution, especially because they allow for a smaller deflection radius. Particularly advantageous for use in the elevator of the invention are elevator hoisting ropes twisted from e.g. round and strong wires. In this way it is possible to obtain thinner ropes and, due to the smaller rope thickness, also smaller diverting pulleys and drive sheaves. With round wires the rope can be twisted in many ways using wires of the same or different thicknesses. In ropes well suited for the invention the wire thickness is on average less than 0.4 mm. Well applicable ropes made of strong wires are those in which the average wire thickness is below 0.3mm or even below 0.2 mm. Ropes particularly well suited for use in the invention are relatively thin ropes having a thickness of less than 8mm, preferably between 3mm and 6mm, such as 4mm or 5mm, made of stronger wires than the wires of most strong wire type ropes currently used in elevators in general, i.e. having a wire strength of more than 1770N/mm². The advantage of thin and strong wires is that the wire has about 2000N/mm in the rope²Or higher strength, in which case the load-bearing capacity of a set of hoisting ropes can be implemented with a reasonable number of parallel hoisting ropes, while the width of the set of hoisting ropes remains reasonable. The appropriate strength of the steel wire of the rope is 2100-². In principle, a strength of about 3000N/mm can be used²Or even higher rope wires. In practice, the selection has a value of about 2100N/mm²Steel wireThe strength of the rope, not the wire, is very high, e.g. 3000N/mm²The ropes of (a) are also generally expensive because stronger wires and the quality thereof is not necessarily as easily standardised as less strong rope qualities. An important factor here is whether a sufficient roping load-bearing capacity is obtained in relation to the width of the set of ropes or the ropes.

By increasing the contact angle with the rope pulley functioning as a diverting pulley, the grip between the traction sheave and the hoisting ropes can be increased. A contact angle of more than 180 between the traction sheave and the hoisting ropes is achieved by using a diverting pulley or diverting pulleys. In this way the weight as well as the size of the car can be reduced, thereby increasing the space saving potential of the elevator.

The elevator applying the invention is preferably an elevator without counterweight and with an elevator car guided by guide rails and suspended by means of diverting pulleys on a set of hoisting ropes in the following manner: the set of hoisting ropes of the elevator comprises rope portions going upwards and downwards from the elevator car. The elevator comprises a number of diverting pulleys in both the upper and lower parts of the elevator shaft. In the elevator shaft, the elevator has a drive machine provided with a traction sheave. The elevator has a compensating device acting on the hoisting ropes to equalize and/or compensate rope tension and/or rope elongation. The diverting pulleys are preferably mounted on the elevator car near its two side walls.

According to the invention the distribution and installation of the elevator can be performed as follows:

1. the elevator is delivered to the installation site in the form of pre-assembled modules, so that the actual installation work can be carried out easily and quickly;

2. a rope for the hoisting machine is mounted in the elevator shaft, e.g. by fastening a block of pulleys around which the rope passes, to the ceiling, and a hoisting device suitable for installation work is introduced to drive the rope;

3. an overspeed governor-safety gear system is installed in the elevator shaft so that the elevator car or a part of the elevator car to be installed, which is to be used for installation work, can be prevented from uncontrolled movement already during the installation period;

4. a guide rope, a laser light source, preferably two, or some similar device, to be used for checking the straightness of the hoistway and for installation and alignment of car guide rails, is mounted in the hoistway;

5. the guide rails of the sections of the lowest elevator car are installed and aligned in place;

6. the following guide rails are arranged on the first installed guide rail sections: a car on a buffer, a frame supporting the car and functioning as a frame for a safety gear, or in the case of a self-supporting car, at least one beam or beams on which the diverting pulleys placed on the car are mounted. The car frame or other part of the car mounted on the guide rails is used to mount the diverting pulleys on the car, and it also carries, by means of temporary supporting means or by other means, the diverting pulleys to be installed at the upper end of the elevator shaft and the diverting pulleys to be installed at the lower end of the elevator shaft, and preferably also the elevator hoisting machine and the traction sheave, and the hoisting ropes, which are passed around at least some of the diverting pulleys, preferably all of the diverting pulleys and the traction sheave. At this stage of the installation work, the remaining part of the hoisting ropes is on the reels placed on the car frame or other structure supporting the car;

7. the hoisting operation is performed by hoisting with a hoisting machine by means of the upper part of the car frame or by means of a beam structure at the upper part of the car, so that the car frame, which is preferably made telescopic, is extended from the lower part of the car frame/the top beam of the car reaches a sufficient height from the lower part of the car, preferably a height corresponding to the final car height in relation to the car structure, so that the elevator car is built. The beam of the car frame or upper part of the car is fixed firmly to the lower part of the car frame/car with a fastening arrangement either final or temporary in relation to the installation of the elevator. In the case of a car frame, it is preferable to lock the telescopic car frame at this stage to its final height, while in the case of a self-supporting car the top beam of the car and a working surface in the lower part of the car, such as the car floor, can be fastened together by means of the car walls or by other means, such as with temporary beams or tie rods. In the case of a car with a car frame and in the case of a self-supporting car structure, the car floor is preferably installed at this stage. A box or a bracket with car guide rails thereon is fastened to the structure thus obtained. In installation work with a car frame, a conventional rubber isolator or other suitable vibration isolator is placed between the car floor and the car frame.

8. The car walls are installed, preferably starting from the back wall. The wall plates and the base plate preferably form a relatively rigid, torsion-resistant structure on their own, but this structure can be reinforced if necessary by means of separate reinforcing elements;

9. the roof of the car is preferably mounted in place with a final arrangement so that the car itself is very strong and will therefore be very capable of withstanding all the stresses to which it is subjected during installation and subsequent operation;

10. the overspeed governor-safety mechanism system is activated to perform its function of controlling movement of the car;

11. an installation-time safety device acting on a safety mechanism or other means for locking the elevator car to a guide rail is attached to the elevator. The installation-time safety gear may be automatic so that the safety gear immovably locks the car to the guide rail whenever the ropes of the hoisting machine used to lift the elevator car are slack or the force supporting the elevator car falls below a certain limit. The safety device can be a pedal or other coupling device for the installer, so that he/she keeps the safety gear or other safety device in a state allowing movement of the elevator when driving the elevator by means of the hoisting machine, while at other times the safety device automatically prevents movement of the elevator car;

12. in a preferred case all guide rails are loaded onto the car and the installation of the car guide rails is performed by installing new guide rails above those already installed, using the elevator car as a working platform and lifting the elevator car upwards by means of the hoisting machine as the installation work proceeds.

13. The guide rails are aligned by means of a laser beam and/or other means commonly used for aligning guide rails.

14. When reaching the upper end of the shaft, the diverting pulleys carried on the elevator car for the upper part of the shaft are mounted in the upper part of the shaft, preferably on diverting pulley carriages fixed to the upper part of the elevator guide rails. The drive machine of the elevator is also preferably mounted on the guide rails. The drive machine and at least one of the diverting pulleys may have a common carrier, by means of which they are supported on this guide rail. If desired, a suitable hoist or other lifting implement may be utilized.

15. After the pulleys in the upper part have been mounted in place and the rope ends secured if necessary, the elevator car is moved downwards while at the same time more rope is fed from the rope drum. The length of the rope portions between the car and the upper part of the shaft is correspondingly increased at this time;

16. after the elevator car has been lowered to a suitable height in the lower part of the shaft, the diverting pulleys for the lower part of the shaft are released from their temporary fastening and mounted in the lower part of the shaft. In this way the hoisting rope has been fed from the rope drum to its final length;

17. the equipment for equalizing rope forces and compensating rope elongations is installed so that it will act on the ropes unless this has been done in advance, while the ends of the ropes in a set of ropes are secured in the positions determined by the roping plan.

The installation work will not necessarily follow the above-described procedure at all different stages of installation and/or it will not be necessary for all installation stages, at least not entirely in the form described above. For example, it is possible that only some of the rope pulleys in the installation are reeved beforehand, in which case the remaining rope pulleys need to be reeved in connection with the installation. When a new elevator is installed to replace the old one and the old guide rails are utilized, the installation of the guide rails will not be included in the phases of the method.

In brief, when installing an elevator without counterweight, the main components of the elevator are first installed on the bottom of the hoistway between the first guide rails, in which case the two first guide rails typically have a length of a few meters, preferably equal to about one floor-to-floor height or distance. Often the guide rails are delivered in several sections of a length of about 5m and then connected together during installation to form a guide rail line extending from the lower part of the elevator shaft to the upper part thereof. In a less spacious environment, shorter guide rail sections of about 2.5 meters in length are easier to handle. Between the first guide rails is installed a car supporting frame, a safety gear frame, an elevator car or equivalent, which serves as "installation tool" and/or as an installation bracket, to which the car diverting pulleys and the hoisting machine together with the associated equipment are attached in a temporary manner. After the guide rails have been installed, the ropes pre-rigged on the rope pulleys are "stretched" to their final length by moving the car supporting frame/car downwards after the diverting pulleys in the upper part of the shaft and the machine have been first mounted in place. Finally, the diverting pulleys in the lower part of the elevator shaft are mounted in place.

Description of the figures

The invention will be described in detail below with reference to embodiments and the attached drawings, in which

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating an elevator in which the invention is implemented;

fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating the elevator of fig. 1 from another angle;

fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating the elevator in fig. 1 and 2 seen from a third angle;

figure 4 shows a car supporting frame according to the invention, extended to a level at which a car can be mounted in the frame;

fig. 5 illustrates the car support frame of the present invention in a collapsed condition;

fig. 6 illustrates the car support frame of the present invention on the bottom of a hoistway; and

fig. 7 is a diagrammatic and schematic illustration of a roping arrangement implemented in accordance with the invention.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1, 2 and 3 are diagrammatic views illustrating the structure of an elevator in which the invention is implemented. The elevator is preferably an elevator without machine room and with a drive machine 4 placed in the elevator shaft. The elevator presented in the figures is a traction sheave elevator without counterweight and with machine above, in which the elevator car 1 moves along guide rails 2. In fig. 1, 2 and 3, the hoisting ropes run as follows: one end of the hoisting rope is fixed to a smaller diameter wheel included in the compensating gear functioning as the compensating device 8, said wheel being fixedly attached to a larger diameter second wheel included in the compensating gear 8. The compensating gear 8 functioning together as a compensating device is fitted to be fastened to the elevator shaft via a support 7 immovably fixed to the elevator guide rails 2. The compensating gear is used to adjust the difference in rope tension between the rope portions above and below the elevator car or the ratio between the rope tensions, let alone. From the smaller diameter wheel comprised in the compensating gear 8 the hoisting ropes 3 go downwards to a diverting pulley 12 mounted on the elevator car, preferably on a beam 20 fitted in place in the upper part of the elevator car, and pass around the diverting pulley 12 along rope grooves provided on the diverting pulley 12. In the rope wheels used as diverting pulleys, the rope grooves may be coated or uncoated, for example with a friction-increasing material, such as polyurethane or some other suitable material. From diverting pulley 12 the ropes go further upwards to a diverting pulley 19 in the elevator shaft, said pulley being mounted in place on a support 7, via which diverting pulley 19 is mounted in place on the elevator guide rails. After passing around diverting pulley 19 the ropes go further downwards to diverting pulley 14, which has also been fitted in place on a beam 20 fitted in place on the elevator car, preferably on the upper part of the elevator car. After passing around diverting pulley 14 the ropes go further transversely with respect to the elevator shaft and elevator car to a diverting pulley 15 mounted in place on the same beam 20 on the other side of the elevator car, and after passing around this diverting pulley the hoisting ropes go further upwards to a diverting pulley 21 mounted in place in the upper part of the elevator shaft. Diverting pulley 21 has been fitted in place on the supporting element 5. Via a support 5, this diverting pulley is supported by the elevator guide rails 2. After passing around diverting pulley 21 the hoisting ropes go further downwards to a diverting pulley 17 mounted in place on the elevator car 1 and also fitted in place on the beam 20. Having passed around diverting pulley 17 the hoisting ropes go further upwards to a diverting pulley 9 preferably mounted in place near the hoisting machine 4. Between diverting pulley 9 and the traction sheave 10, Double Wrap (DW) roping is indicated in the figure. From diverting pulley 9 the hoisting ropes go further to the traction sheave 10 after first passing the diverting pulley 9 in "tangential contact" with diverting pulley 9. This means that the ropes 3 going from the traction sheave 10 to the elevator car 1 pass via the rope grooves of diverting pulley 9 and the deflection of the ropes 3 caused by the diverting pulley 9 is small. It can be said that the ropes 3 going from the traction sheave 10 only make "tangential contact" with the diverting pulley 9. This "tangential contact" functions as a solution for damping rope vibrations, but it can also be used in other roping solutions. The ropes pass around the traction sheave 10 of the hoisting machine 4 along rope grooves on the traction sheave 10. From the traction sheave 10 the ropes 3 go further downwards to diverting pulley 9, passing around it along the rope grooves of diverting pulley 9 and returning upwards to the traction sheave 10, the ropes passing around the traction sheave along the rope grooves of the traction sheave. From the traction sheave 10, the ropes 3 go further downwards in "tangential contact" with diverting pulley 9 past the elevator car 1 moving along the guide rails 2 to a diverting pulley 18 placed in the lower part of the elevator shaft. The hoisting machine and diverting pulley 9 are mounted in place on a support 5, which in turn is fixed in place on the guide rails 2 of the elevator. Diverting pulleys 12, 19, 14, 15, 21, 17, 9 and the smaller-diameter wheel comprised in the compensating gear 8 together with the traction sheave 10 of the hoisting machine 4 constitute the suspension above the elevator car with the same suspension ratio as the suspension below the elevator car, which suspension ratio is 6: 1 in fig. 1, 2 and 3. The hoisting ropes pass along rope grooves provided on diverting pulley 18 over diverting pulley 18, which is preferably fitted in place in the lower part of the elevator shaft on support 6 fixed in place on the elevator guide rails 2. After passing around diverting pulley 18 the ropes 3 go further upwards to a diverting pulley 17 fitted in place on the elevator car and mounted on the beam 20, and after passing around said diverting pulley 17 the ropes go further downwards to a diverting pulley 16 in the lower part of the elevator shaft, which diverting pulley has been mounted in place on the support 6. After passing around diverting pulley 16 the ropes return to a diverting pulley 15 fitted in place on the elevator car, which is mounted on the beam 20. From diverting pulley 15 the hoisting ropes 3 go further transversely across the elevator car to a diverting pulley 14 mounted in place on a beam 20 on the other side of the elevator car. Having passed around this diverting pulley the ropes go further downwards to a diverting pulley 13 fitted in place in the lower part of the elevator shaft, said pulley being mounted in place on a support 22, which support 22 in turn is fixed in place on the elevator guide rails 2. After passing around diverting pulley 13 the ropes go further upwards to a diverting pulley 12 fitted in place on the elevator car, said pulley being mounted on the beam 20. Having passed around diverting pulley 12, the ropes 3 go further downwards to a diverting pulley 11 mounted in place on a support 22 in the lower part of the elevator shaft. Having passed around the diverting pulley 11, the hoisting ropes 3 go further upwards to a compensating gear 8 mounted in place in the upper part of the shaft, the second ends of the hoisting ropes being fixed to a wheel of larger diameter comprised in the compensating gear 8. A compensating gear functioning as a compensating device 8 is mounted in place on the support 7. The diverting pulleys 18, 17, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11 and the wheel of larger diameter in the compensating gear 8 functioning as a compensating device constitute the suspension below the elevator car with the same suspension ratio as the suspension above the elevator car, which suspension ratio is 6: 1 in fig. 1, 2 and 3.

In fig. 1, 2 and 3 the compensating gear 8 comprises two sheave parts, preferably two sheaves, of different diameters and immovably fixed to each other, which compensating gear 8 has been fitted in place on a support element 7, which in turn is mounted in place on the elevator guide rail 2. Of the two sheave parts of the compensating gear 8, the sheave connected to the hoisting rope portion below the elevator car has a larger diameter than the sheave connected to the hoisting rope portion above the elevator car. The diameter ratio between the diameters of the wheels of the compensating gear determines the magnitude of the tightening force acting on the hoisting rope and thus the compensating force of the hoisting rope elongation and at the same time the magnitude of the rope elongation to be compensated. The use of the compensating gear 8 offers the advantage that this arrangement compensates even very large rope elongations. By varying the size of the diameters of the wheels of the compensating gear 8 it is possible to influence the size of the rope elongation to be compensated and the ratio between the rope forces T1 and T2 acting on both sides of the traction sheave, which ratio can be kept constant by means of the arrangement in question. The length of the ropes used in elevators is large due to large suspension ratios or large hoisting heights. It is therefore essential for the operation and safety of the elevator that the hoisting rope portion below the elevator car is kept under sufficient tension and that the amount of rope elongation to be compensated is large. This is often not possible with a spring or a simple lever. In the case of odd suspension ratios above and below the elevator car, the compensating gear functioning as a compensating device in the elevator depicted in fig. 1, 2 and 3 is fitted in place on the elevator car by means of a transfer gear, while in the case of even suspension ratios the compensating gear functioning as a compensating device in the elevator of the invention is fitted in place in the elevator shaft, preferably on the elevator guide rails. In the compensating gear 8 according to the invention a number of 2 wheels can be used, but the number of wheel members used can vary, e.g. only one wheel can be used, to which the fixing points of the hoisting ropes are attached at different positions along the diameter. More than two wheels may be used if it is desired to vary the ratio between the diameters of the wheels, for example by merely varying the diameter of the wheels in the compensating gear. The elevator without counterweight presented in fig. 1, 2 and 3 is not provided with conventional springs for compensating the rope forces, but instead a compensating gear 8 is used as a compensating device. Thus, the ropes comprised in the set of hoisting ropes 3 can be secured directly to the compensating gear 8. In addition to the compensating gear as shown in the figures, the compensating device of the invention may also be constituted by a suitable lever or other suitable compensating device with several compensating wheels. The beam 20 shown in the figures, which is fixed in place in connection with the elevator car, can also be mounted elsewhere than in the position above the elevator car shown in the figures. It can also be placed e.g. below the elevator car or somewhere between these two positions. The diverting pulleys may have grooves and the same diverting pulley may be used to guide the passage of the hoisting ropes comprised in the suspension above the elevator car and the passage of the hoisting ropes comprised in the suspension below the elevator car, as is e.g. shown in the figures in connection with diverting pulleys 12, 14, 15, 17.

A preferred embodiment of the elevator of the invention is an elevator without counterweight and with machine above, which elevator has a drive machine with a coated traction sheave and thin hoisting ropes of substantially circular cross-section. The contact angle of the hoisting ropes on the traction sheave of the elevator is greater than 180. The elevator comprises an assembly comprising the drive machine, the traction sheave and the diverting pulley, all of which are fitted in place via a supporting element, and the diverting pulley is fitted at the correct angle relative to the traction sheave. This assembly is secured to the elevator guide rails. The elevator is made without counterweight and with a suspension ratio of 6: 1. The compensation of rope forces and elongations is achieved with a compensating device according to the invention. The diverting pulleys in the elevator shaft are fitted in place by means of supporting elements on the elevator guide rails, while the diverting pulleys on the elevator car are all mounted in place on a beam on the elevator car, which beam also constitutes the member supporting the elevator car.

The elevator car 1 is suspended on the hoisting ropes via a beam 20 and diverting pulleys mounted on the beam. The beam 20 is part of the load-bearing structure of the elevator car, which structure may be in the form of a self-supporting car or a framework of a number of beams or the like connected to or integrated with the elevator car. The elevator is preferably installed by starting from the actual installation in the shaft by introducing an elevator car or a module comprising the car's components, which elevator car or module contains car diverting pulleys assembled and secured to it in a temporary manner, diverting pulleys for the upper part of the shaft, diverting pulleys for the lower part of the shaft, rope compensating devices and the elevator hoisting machine, and with which the elevator ropes have been fitted in advance in conjunction with it, and on which the number of hoisting ropes required for the operation of the elevator is carried, while the rope length exceeding the advance roping is carried, together with the car/module, by a reel that can be secured to the car's structural components. The floor 24 of the elevator car 1 can be initially placed as a working platform or a separate working platform can be used for the installation of the ropes. Since the hoisting ropes have been pre-fitted on the diverting pulleys, the diverting pulleys of the upper and lower part of the elevator shaft and those of the elevator car can be moved further away from each other while supplying more rope to add the extension roping. The diverting pulleys in the upper part of the elevator shaft are fitted in place with the elevator car or in some other way. The diverting pulleys of the elevator car are raised together with the beam 20 to a distance from the floor 24 of the elevator car, and the elevator car 1 is assembled by joining the walls 25 to the floor and mounting the beam 20 and the ceiling 23 on the upper part of the elevator car.

Fig. 7 illustrates how the ropes of an elevator implemented according to the invention are passed over the different diverting pulleys and the rope pulleys of the hoisting machine, and fig. 4, 5 and 6 show the car supporting frame 30, which in fig. 4 shows the length of the car when it can be mounted inside the frame, and fig. 5 shows the frame in a retracted or lowered form making the frame easy to transport, in so far as the frame has diverting pulleys mounted on it, allowing the ropes to be transported easily over these diverting pulleys as a complete total assembly. Fig. 4 and 5 do not show the diverting pulleys in the upper and lower part of the shaft. Fig. 6 shows the car supporting frame on the bottom of the elevator shaft 31. The car supporting frame is provided with guide means 32 by means of which the car is positioned and guided when it moves in the vertical direction along the elevator guide rails 33. The upper part 34 and the lower part 35 of the car supporting frame are telescopically joined together by beam sections 36 and 37 of the side beams of the car frame, which are nested into each other. The joining together of the upper and lower parts in a telescopic manner or otherwise with variable length can also be realized in some other way. The car supporting frame is provided with diverting pulleys for suspending the elevator car on the ropes, comprising a first set of diverting pulleys 38, from which the ropes of the set of hoisting ropes go upwards, and a second set of diverting pulleys 39, from which the ropes of the set of hoisting ropes go downwards. Fig. 6 shows diverting pulleys 42 to be installed in the upper part of the shaft but temporarily fitted on the car supporting frame; hoisting machine 40 with a traction sheave (not shown) and preferably an auxiliary diverting pulley 41, the auxiliary diverting pulley 41 causing the roping on the machine to be implemented in so-called double wrap roping or causing the contact angle between the traction sheave and the ropes to be changed in some other way; and diverting pulleys 43 to be fitted in the lower part of the shaft. The hoisting ropes previously fitted around the diverting pulleys are not shown in fig. 6 for the sake of clarity. The car frame preferably comprises other car components, such as a car floor, which can thus be used as a working platform. Together with the car frame, the amount of hoisting rope required for a set of hoisting ropes to be extended to full length is introduced into or near the elevator shaft on a reel. The reels are not shown in the figures. In fig. 7, a set of hoisting ropes 44 is drawn as a single rope, the passage of which is indicated by arrows, starting from a rope end fixing point 45 in the lower part of the shaft and ending finally at a rope force differentiating arrangement (differentiating arrangement)46, which arrangement consists of a tackle system (tackle system) for maintaining a relative rope tension difference between the rope portions above and below the elevator car. The rope force differentiating means may also be formed in other ways, which may lead to different solutions in respect of rope end fixing. From the fixing point 45 the ropes go first to the rope wheels comprised in the differential 46 and then continue first to the diverting pulley 43 in the lower part of the shaft from where they go further to the downward diverting pulley 39 of the car, passing around the diverting pulleys in the lower part of the shaft and the downward diverting pulleys of the car one by one, until they go from the last diverting pulley in the lower part of the shaft up to the machine 40. From the machine 40 the ropes go further to the first upward diverting pulley 38 on the elevator car, passing in turn around diverting pulleys 42 in the upper part of the shaft and each upward diverting pulley 38 until the ropes end from the last diverting pulley in the upper part of the shaft at the differential 46.

It is obvious to the person skilled in the art that different embodiments of the invention are not limited to the examples described above, but that they may be varied within the scope of the invention. E.g. the number of times the hoisting ropes pass between the diverting pulleys in the upper part of the elevator shaft and those on the elevator car and between the diverting pulleys in the lower part of the elevator shaft and those on the elevator car, is not a very decisive question as regards the basic advantages of the invention, although some additional advantages can be achieved by using a plurality and an even number of rope portions. It is also obvious to the skilled person that an embodiment according to the invention can also be implemented using odd suspension ratios above and below the elevator car, in which case the compensating device is mounted in conjunction with the elevator car or its components. The skilled person can vary the embodiment of the invention according to the examples presented above, in that the traction sheaves and rope pulleys, instead of being coated metal pulleys, may also be uncoated metal pulleys or uncoated pulleys made of some other material suited to the purpose.

It is further obvious to the person skilled in the art that the metallic traction sheaves and rope wheels used as diverting pulleys in the invention, which are coated with a non-metallic material at least in the area of their rope grooves, may be made using a coating material consisting of e.g. rubber, polyurethane or some other material suitable for the purpose.

It is also obvious to the person skilled in the art that the elevator car and the machine assembly can be arranged in the cross-section of the elevator shaft in a manner differing from the lay-out described in the examples. The skilled person will also understand that 'elevator car' may refer to a self-supporting car structure, an assembly consisting of an elevator car and a car supporting frame, or also a car structure mounted in a car supporting frame.

It is obvious to the skilled person that the configuration of the elevator applying the invention may differ from the examples described above. It is further obvious to the skilled person that the elevator of the invention can be implemented using almost any flexible hoisting means as hoisting ropes, e.g. flexible rope of one or more strands, flat belt, cogged belt, v-belt, or some other type of belt suited to the purpose.

It is further obvious to the skilled person that the elevator of the invention may also be provided with a counterweight, in which case the elevator counterweight preferably has a weight below that of the elevator car and is suspended by a separate set of ropes. The skilled person will understand that the elevator shaft is not strictly necessary for the elevator provided that sufficient safety and protection of the technical components can be achieved.

Claims

1. Method for installing an elevator, the elevator to be installed comprising a structure comprising components of the elevator car, a number of diverting pulleys adapted to be mounted in the upper part of the elevator shaft, a number of diverting pulleys adapted to be mounted in the lower part of the elevator shaft, a number of upward diverting pulleys adapted to be mounted on the structure, a number of downward diverting pulleys adapted to be mounted on the structure, and a number of hoisting ropes, the method comprising:

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the diverting pulleys adapted to be mounted in the upper part of the elevator shaft are hoisted to the upper part of the elevator shaft by means of the structure.

3. A method according to claim 1, characterised in that the construction is used to form a work platform, and

by working from this platform, at least some of the plurality of elevator guide rails and the number of diverting pulleys adapted to be mounted in the upper part of the elevator shaft are mounted in place in the elevator shaft.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the assembly of the elevator car is completed partially or completely,

5. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the elevator is without counterweight.

6. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that to the structure are fitted all diverting pulleys adapted to be mounted in the upper part of the elevator shaft, all diverting pulleys adapted to be mounted in the lower part of the elevator shaft and all diverting pulleys adapted to be mounted on the structure.

7. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the elevator to be installed also comprises a compensating device.

8. An assembly module for an elevator, comprising:

a structure including components of an elevator car;

a plurality of up-diverting pulleys adapted to be mounted on the structure;

a plurality of hoisting ropes are provided,

wherein at least some of the diverting pulleys adapted to be mounted in the upper part of the elevator shaft are fitted to the structure;

9. The elevator assembly module of claim 8, further comprising:

a hoisting machine;

wherein the hoisting machine is mounted to the structure.