HK1031218B - Rescue elevator system - Google Patents

Description

Rescue lifting system

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to rescue apparatus and, more particularly, to a rescue elevator system for high-rise buildings that utilizes a replaceable non-rescue grade cable that can be replaced with a rescue grade cable when performing rescue.

Background

Rescue elevators are well known in the art. Various rescue elevators and related devices have been described in U.S. patent No. 745,915 to sclly, 780,711 to Donell, 1,138,902 to Smith, 2,618,361 to Zindt, 3,517,774 to Meyer, 4,018,306 to Lyons, 4,315,456 to Hayashi, and so on.

U.S. patent No. 4,469,198 to Crump describes a rescue lifting system for a high-rise building that includes a two-compartment rail with a two-cable system and a wheeled cart (e.g., a lift compartment mounting device) located in one of the compartments. A portable lift cabin is connected with the vehicle. The elevator car with the stabilizing wheels can travel on a smooth vertical roadway on the outer surface of the building. The stabilizing wheels are horizontally adjustable to accommodate different exterior wall surfaces of different buildings.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved rescue apparatus in which a non-rescue grade guide cable is arranged in a track connected to the outer wall of the building, the term "non-rescue grade guide cable" throughout the description and claims including any cable, rope, wire or the like, which does not necessarily have sufficient strength for the load-lifting cabin and/or the persons rescuing from the building as generally required by the safety standards. Conversely, the term "rescue grade guide cable" includes any cable, rope, wire or the like that has at least sufficient strength to support the load-carrying elevator cabin and/or to rescue persons from the building as specified by safety standards.

The non-rescue-level guide cable enables the device to be installed on a building to be simpler in construction and lower in cost. All practical rescue equipment, including the rescue grade guide cable, can be carried by a rescue vehicle to the scene of the emergency, typically stored at a fire station or the like, in a non-emergency situation, the rescue vehicle itself carrying a winch on which the rescue grade utility cable is wound and a lift cabin. The cage is designed according to the number of persons who take it, and slides along the rail by a pair of rollers.

Thus, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, there is provided a rescue apparatus comprising a track vertically mountable to an outer wall of a building; the pulley can be installed above the track and is provided with a first groove and a second groove, the opening end of the second groove is arranged on the periphery of the pulley, and the closed end of the second groove is arranged on the inner side of the periphery of the pulley; a guide cable movable along the rail, an upper end of the guide cable being at least partially wound around the first groove of the pulley; the release means comprises a weight attached to said upper end of said guide cable, said weight comprising an appendage initially resting against said closed end of said second recess, wherein pulling said guide cable substantially downward moves said appendage within said second recess and through said open end, thereby releasing and moving said weight downward from said pulley; a rescue-grade utility cable connected to a lower end of said guide cable; a winch around which said utility cable is wound; an elevator cab is connected to the utility line.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a passageway is provided in the track and a movable non-rescue grade guide cable is provided in the passageway.

Further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the release mechanism has a weight attached to the upper end of the guide cable and a pulley having a groove therein, the groove having an open end disposed on the periphery of the pulley and a closed end disposed inwardly of the periphery of the pulley, wherein the weight includes an appendage which initially rests against the closed end and which, when the guide cable is pulled downwardly, causes the appendage to move within the groove and through the open end, thereby releasing the weight from the pulley and moving downwardly.

Further in accordance with the preferred practice of the invention, the release of the weight from the pulley causes the guide cable to pass around and off the pulley and the utility cable to be fed into and around the pulley instead of the guide cable.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, the rescue device includes a guide pulley pivotally connected to the bottom end of the track.

Still further in accordance with a preferred practice of the invention, the guide pulleys are operative to feed the utility cable from the winch into the track in a range of 0 to at least 180 of the azimuth angle relative to the track.

In addition, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the winch is mounted on the rescue vehicle.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the cross-section of the rail is a parallelogram, one corner of the parallelogram preferably facing the outer wall of the building, and the parallelogram preferably being a rhombus.

Further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the track includes a first steel plate extending from one corner of the parallelogram, the steel plate facing the exterior wall of the building and being attached to the building.

Still further in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention the track includes a second steel plate extending from another corner of the parallelogram in a direction opposite to the one corner of the parallelogram which faces the exterior wall of the building.

Further, according to a preferred mode of carrying out the present invention, the parallelogram and the first and second steel plates are formed by welding a first rail member including the first steel plate and both faces of the parallelogram as an integral part and a second rail member including the second steel plate as an integral part and the remaining two faces of the parallelogram which are opposed to both faces of the first rail member, wherein the first convex portion is extended from one face of the parallelogram of the first rail member and abuts against a concave portion provided at a joint portion of the second steel plate and the corresponding one face of the parallelogram on the second rail member. The second convex portion extends from one face of the parallelogram of the second rail member and abuts against a concave portion provided at a junction of the first steel plate and a corresponding one face of the parallelogram of the first rail member.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the elevator car includes a pair of rollers that roll along opposite sides of the track. The roller is preferably pivotally attached to the lift module.

Drawings

The invention may be better understood and appreciated by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a simplified schematic illustration of a rescue apparatus including a track and a non-rescue grade guide cable constructed and operative in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, with the rescue grade utility cable not yet connected to the non-rescue grade guide cable;

fig. 2 is a simplified schematic illustration of a rescue-grade utility cable coupled to a non-rescue-grade cable on the rescue apparatus of fig. 1;

fig. 3 is a simplified schematic view of a guide pulley attached to the bottom end of the upper track of the rescue apparatus of fig. 1;

fig. 4 is a simplified schematic illustration of the release of a non-rescue grade guide cable from the rescue device sheave of fig. 1;

fig. 5 is a simplified schematic view of a lifting cabin on a rescue vehicle engaging a track of the rescue apparatus of fig. 1;

FIG. 6 is a simplified enlarged fragmentary illustration of the engagement of the rollers on the cab with the track;

FIG. 7 is a simplified partial cross-sectional view of a top view cross-section of a track in accordance with a preferred implementation of the present invention, also incorporating rollers; and

fig. 8 is a simplified partial cross-sectional view of a top view of the rail, which more clearly shows the rail than fig. 7.

Detailed Description

Referring now to fig. 1, a rescue apparatus 10 is constructed and operated in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

The rescue apparatus preferably includes a track 12 mounted vertically to an exterior wall 14 of a building 16. The cross-section of the rail 12 may be of any suitable shape. The rails 12 in fig. 1-6 are illustrated as having a rectangular cross-section for simplicity, but the best cross-section is described below with reference to fig. 7 and 8. A pulley 18 is mounted to the building 16 above the track 12 and a non-rescue grade guide cable 20 is provided to move along the track 12. As shown later in FIG. 7, a channel 22 is preferably provided in the track 12 and the guide cable 20 is mounted for movement along the channel 22. This mounting is preferably used so that the guide cable 20 is protected from the external environment and is tamper-proof. Referring again to fig. 1, it can be seen that the upper end 24 of the guide cable 20 passes around the first groove of the pulley 18.

In an emergency situation where personnel need to be rescued from the building 16, a rescue vehicle 26 will be driven to the site. In non-emergency situations, rescue vehicle 26 is typically stored at a fire station and the like. Rescue vehicle 26 itself carries a winch on which rescue grade utility cable 30 is wound and a lift cabin 32. The elevator car is designed to accommodate a number of persons and is movable along the track 12 by means of a pair of rollers 34, preferably 34, one above the other, which in non-emergency situations will be described below preferably cover the bottom end of the track 12 with a box 36.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the utility cable 30 is connected to the guide cable 20. First, the removal of the cassette 36 exposes the bottom of the rail 12. A guide pulley 38 is provided at the bottom end of the rail 12, the guide pulley 38 being described below with reference to fig. 3. Suitable connectors 40 and 42 are disposed at the ends of the guide cable 20 and utility cable 30, respectively, for quickly and reliably connecting the two cables.

Referring now to fig. 3, the guide pulley 38 is illustrated in further detail. Guide pulley 38 is preferably mounted on a shaft 44 within a housing 46, housing 46 being pivotally connected to a bottom end extension 48 of rail 12 about a pivot point 50. As shown in fig. 3, after the utility cable 30 is connected to the guide cable 20, it can pass around the guide pulley 38 through the upper end pivot point 50 into the track 12 to the pulley 18 (shown in fig. 3 as the utility cable has entered the track 12), and the guide pulley 38 rotates about an axis 52 defined by the pivot point 50. Thus, the guide pulley 38 can feed the utility cable 30 from the winch 28 into the track 12 in a range of azimuth angles of 0 ° to at least 180 ° relative to the track 12.

Once the utility cable 30 is connected to the guide cable 20, the guide cable must be released from the pulley 18 so that the utility cable 30 travels up and around the pulley 18 (the utility cable 30 has entered the track 12 prior to entering the form shown in FIG. 3), and to do so, a release mechanism is provided that prevents downward movement of the upper end 24 of the guide cable 20 and selectively releases the upper end 24 of the guide cable 20 to facilitate downward movement of the upper end 24. Reference is now made in particular to fig. 4.

The release mechanism preferably includes a weight 54 attached to the upper end 24 of the guide cable 20. An attachment for weight 54, such as an upper hook member 56, comes to rest within a groove 58 (referred to as a second groove) formed in sheave 18, groove 58 having an open end 60 disposed on the periphery of sheave 18 and a closed end 62 disposed inside the periphery of sheave 18. The weight 54 rests at the closed end of the recess 58 and remains suspended near the top of the building 16 (fig. 1) so long as it does not interfere with the guide cable 20. Pulling the guide cable 20 downward, generally in the direction of arrow 64, causes the upper hook member 56 to move within the recess 58 in the direction indicated by arrow 66. The upper hook member 56 eventually passes through the open end 60 to the position shown at numeral 68. In this position, the weight 54 will be released from the pulley 18 and free to move downwardly in the direction indicated by arrow 70. The remainder of the guide cable 20 to the right of the pulley 18 will move in the direction of arrow 72 as shown in fig. 4. The weight 54 may be free falling or lowered at a speed controlled in any suitable manner.

Referring to fig. 5, the utility cable 30 is being paid out from the winch 28 and passed around the pulley 18. The utility cable 30 is then connected to the attachment lug 74 of the lift cabin 32. The cab 32 can then be lifted (by driving the winch) and brought into connection with the rail 12.

Referring to fig. 6, it can be seen that each roller 34 is preferably rotatably connected to a pair of lugs 76, the lugs 76 extending from a beam 78 connected to the elevator cab 32. Each roller 34 is preferably mounted on a shaft 80, the shaft 80 being secured to the projection 76 by a pair of small shafts 82 and 84. Initially, when the lift module is attached to the track 12, one roller 34 is completely pinned by the small shafts 82 and 84, while the other roller 34 is only pinned by the small shaft 82. The latter roller 34 is thus free to rotate about the minor axis 82 as indicated by arrow 86 in fig. 6. This roller 34 is then simply rotated about the small shaft 82 until it is in close contact with the rail 12 whereupon the small shaft 84 is then fitted and pinned to the roller 34. This arrangement ensures that the cab 32 is easily mounted on the rail 12 without regard to tolerance.

Once the cab 32 is attached to the track 12, the cab 32 is moved up and down the track 12 by the action of the winch 28 to rescue personnel from the building 16.

Referring to fig. 7 and 8, there is shown a top cross-sectional view of a rail 12 in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The track 12 is preferably a parallelogram in cross-section, with one corner 90 of the parallelogram facing the surface 14 of the building 16. The parallelogram may be non-equilateral, but is preferably a rhombus.

In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a first steel plate 92 extends from corner 90 and is attached to building 16, such as by a welded-on tab 94. Second plate 96 preferably extends from a corner 98 of the parallelogram opposite to corner 90. Steel plates 92 and 96 are preferably formed by welding first rail member 100 and second rail member 102 together at corners 90 and 98; the first rail member 100 includes the first steel plate 92 and two faces 104 and 106 of the parallelogram as an integral part, and the second rail member 102 includes the second steel plate 96 and the remaining two faces 108 and 110 of the parallelogram opposite faces 104 and 106 as an integral part. First male portion 112 preferably extends from face 106 and abuts against female portion 114, which female portion 114 is disposed at the interface of second steel plate 96 and face 110. Second projection 116 preferably extends from face 108 and abuts recess 118 provided at the junction of first steel plate 92 and face 104.

The unique structural shape of the track 12 facilitates the operation of the lift module 32 on a simple, strong, sturdy track that is resistant to wind and other environmental forces.

The elevator car 32 may be moved on the steel plate 96 instead of on the faces 104, 106, 108 and 110, if desired.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to what has been particularly shown and described hereinabove. Rather, combinations and subcombinations of the features described above, as well as modifications and variations thereof which would occur to persons skilled in the art upon reading the foregoing description and which are not in the prior art, are intended to be included within the scope of the invention.

Claims (18)

1. Lift rescue system includes:

a rail vertically mountable to an outer wall of a building;

the pulley can be installed above the track and is provided with a first groove and a second groove, the opening end of the second groove is arranged on the periphery of the pulley, and the closed end of the second groove is arranged on the inner side of the periphery of the pulley;

a guide cable movable along said track, an upper end of said guide cable being at least partially wrapped around said first groove of said pulley; the release means comprises a weight attached to said upper end of said guide cable, said weight comprising an appendage initially resting against said closed end of said second recess, wherein pulling said guide cable substantially downward moves said appendage within said second recess and through said open end, thereby releasing and moving said weight downward from said pulley;

a rescue-grade utility cable connected to a lower end of said guide cable;

a winch around which said utility cable is wound;

an elevator cab is connected to the utility line.

2. The lift rescue system of claim 1, wherein: the guide cable comprises a non-rescue-level guide cable.

3. Lifting rescue system as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: a channel is disposed within the track, and the guide cable is disposed for movement within the channel.

4. The lift rescue system of claim 1, wherein: releasing the weight from the pulley causes the guide cable to be wound out of the pulley and the utility cable to be wound into the pulley in place of the guide cable.

5. The rescue system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a guide pulley journaled at a lower end portion of the rail.

6. A lift rescue system as described in claim 1 further comprising a rescue vehicle wherein said winch is mounted on said rescue vehicle.

7. The lift rescue system of claim 1, wherein: the lift module includes a pair of rollers that roll along opposite sides of the track.

8. The lift rescue system of claim 7, wherein: the roller is connected to the lifting cabin through a shaft.

9. Lifting rescue system as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: the track has a parallelogram cross section.

10. The lift rescue system of claim 9, wherein: the parallelogram is a rhombus.

11. An elevator rescue system as defined in claim 9, further comprising a building, said track being mounted to an exterior wall of said building, wherein a corner of said parallelogram faces said exterior wall of said building.

12. The lift rescue system of claim 11, wherein: the track includes a first steel plate extending from the corner of the parallelogram, the steel plate facing the outer wall of the building and being attached to the building.

13. A lift rescue system as defined in claim 12, wherein: the track includes a second steel plate extending from an angle of the parallelogram opposite to an angle of the parallelogram toward the outer wall of the building.

14. The lift rescue system of claim 13, wherein: said parallelogram and said first and second steel plates are formed by welding together a first rail member and a second rail member, said first rail member including as an integral part both faces of said first steel plate and said parallelogram, said second rail member including as an integral part both remaining faces of said second steel plate and said parallelogram opposite the faces of said first rail member, wherein a first protrusion extends from one face of said parallelogram of said first rail member and abuts against a recess provided at the junction of said second steel plate and said corresponding face of said parallelogram of said second rail member; the second projection extends from one face of the parallelogram of the second rail part and abuts against a recess provided at the junction of the first steel plate and the corresponding face of the parallelogram of the first rail part.

15. The lift rescue system of claim 1, wherein the cross-section of the track is a parallelogram including a first steel plate extending outwardly from a first corner of the parallelogram and a second steel plate extending outwardly from a second corner of the parallelogram opposite the first corner, the first and second steel plates being substantially coplanar.

16. A lift rescue system as defined in claim 15, wherein: the parallelogram is a rhombus.

17. A lift rescue system as defined in claim 15 further comprising a building having an outer wall, said track being mounted to said outer wall by said first steel plate, said first steel plate being substantially perpendicular to said outer wall of said building.

18. A lift rescue system as defined in claim 15, wherein: said first steel plate and said second steel plate being formed by welding together said first rail part and said second rail part, said first rail part comprising as an integral part both faces of said first steel plate and said parallelogram, said second rail part comprising as an integral part both second steel plate and two remaining faces of said parallelogram opposite to the faces of said first rail part, wherein a first protrusion extends from one face of said parallelogram of said first rail part and abuts against a recess provided at the junction of said second steel plate and said corresponding face of said parallelogram of said second rail part, a second protrusion extends from one face of said parallelogram of said second rail part and abuts against a recess, the concave portion is provided at a junction of the first steel plate and the corresponding face of the parallelogram of the first rail member.