HK1189541B - Equipment for joining elevator guide rails, joint arrangement for elevator guide rails, and elevator - Google Patents

Description

Device for coupling elevator guide rails, joint arrangement of elevator guide rails and elevator

Technical Field

The present invention relates to coupling guide rails of an elevator. The object of the invention is a device for coupling elevator guide rails, a joint arrangement for elevator guide rails and an elevator, wherein the elevator is preferably an elevator applicable to passenger transport and/or freight transport.

Background

The movement of a moving elevator unit, e.g. an elevator car and possibly a counterweight, in an elevator is guided by one or more guide rails in the direction of movement of the elevator unit. Moving elevator units also often include a brake configured to grip a guide rail in a guide rail line in an emergency to brake movement of the moving elevator unit. Each guide track line comprises a plurality of guide rails arranged in succession, which guide rails thus form segments of the aforementioned guide track line. According to the prior art, the continuous rails are connected to one another by means of coupling plates, which are referred to as "fishplates". The fishplate is fixed to the end of the continuous guide rail, i.e. on the rear side of the guide rail (the side not comprising the guide surface of the moving elevator unit for the elevator). The fishplates thus rigidly fix the ends of the guide rails to each other. Conventionally, fishplates are flat plates of uniform thickness that are secured with bolts fastened to two consecutively arranged ends of the guide rail. The purpose of the joint is to be able to prevent the rails from moving away from each other in the longitudinal or transverse direction or from bending relative to each other. The displacement of the rail ends relative to each other is detrimental, as the displacement will cause a step or gap between them, forming a point of disruption. Breaks or gradient changes between the guide rails are detrimental from the point of view of ride comfort and safety of the guide shoes guided by the guide rails or of the brakes of a moving elevator unit capable of gripping the guide rails. The goal is therefore that the guide rail line is continuous and straight. The moving elevator unit obtains a lateral guiding force from the guide rail during its guidance and/or a longitudinal supporting force of the guide rail when it is braked by gripping to the guide rail. In these kinds of situations, longitudinal forces, transverse forces and bending act on the joints between successive rails. During operation of the elevator, strong torsions are formed between the ends of the guide rails due to the effect of the torque arms produced especially by the length of the guide rails and when the coupling device as a whole is the only element resisting torsion. From the point of view of the joint, this is the case where its ability to resist bending is highly critical. The ability of the joint to resist bending or other displacement between the guide rails is important when the elevator unit is at the joint point and also when the elevator unit is at a distance from said joint, i.e. the guide rail line is an integral part of a plurality of guide rails supported in each other. For example, the bottommost rails may support higher rails above them. The bending stiffness of the joint is conventionally increased by forming the fishplate of the coupling device from a thick plate. This is an effective method, but one problem is that the number of fishplates per elevator is large, in which case the material consumption of the individual fishplates is gathered up to a large extent. The spatial use of the coupling device/joint arrangement is an important factor that must be considered. The coupling device is usually very close to the path of movement of the part of the elevator unit moving along said guide rail line. The coupling device must be moved away from the path of movement to avoid collisions. On the other hand, they form a projection from the guide rail line, which projection is connected with the guide rail, so that they limit the possibility of arranging the guide rail very close to the wall or other part of the elevator shaft. For this reason, the aim must be to create a compact coupling device.

In view of the above, a need has arisen for a coupling device by means of which an economical, space-saving and rigid joint between successive guide rails can be achieved better than before.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the present invention is to solve the above mentioned problems of prior art solutions and the problems disclosed in the description of the invention hereinafter. In particular, it is an object to create a rigid joint between the successive guide rails of an elevator, which joint has a lower material consumption than before. In particular, embodiments are disclosed in which the coupling device creates a rigid joint and the space occupied by the coupling device in the elevator hoistway is small.

The coupling device for elevator guide rails according to the invention is used for coupling successive elevator guide rails to each other, comprising a fishplate, which is an elongated angle-plate-shaped piece and comprises a plurality of plate profiles alongside each other in the length direction of the fishplate, which comprise one planar supporting plate profile or a plurality of coplanar planar supporting plate profiles, against which the rear side of the end of the successive guide rail can be supported, and a longitudinal bend between the plate profiles alongside each other, and which further comprises a stiffening plate profile bent out of the plane of the supporting plate profile/profiles. One advantage is that the fishplate is cheap to manufacture, because the gusset structure is simple and fast. The shaping of the fishplate increases its rigidity, in which case the material thickness can be kept very thin.

Preferably, the stiffening profile of the fishplate of the coupling device comprises a stiffening plate profile bent out of the plane of the bearing plate profile, the stiffening plate profile being angled relative to the bearing plate profile and/or the stiffening plate profile being not angled relative to the bearing plate profile and arranged to rest against the guide rail of the bearing plate profile and not against the stiffening plate profile.

In one embodiment, the fishplate of the coupling device comprises, on the opposite side of the supporting-plate profile, a first stiffening-plate profile deviating to the front side of the supporting-plate profile and a second stiffening-plate profile deviating to the rear side of the supporting-plate profile. In this way, the fishplate is very large in size in the depth direction (z-direction) and a large second moment of area is achieved with low material consumption, but at the same time a compact rail configuration can be achieved. Preferably, the first stiffening web profile is located on the first longitudinal edge of the fishplate and is offset from the support web profile towards the front side of the support web profile (also the fishplate), i.e. towards the rail side, and the second stiffening web profile is located on the second longitudinal edge of the fishplate and is offset from the support web profile towards the rear side of the support web profile. Preferably, but not necessarily, the first and second stiffening sheet profiles are bent parallel and at right angles to the support sheet profile, in which case the stiffening effect is maximal with respect to space consumption. Preferably, the fishplate comprises only 2 longitudinal bends, two stiffening plate profiles and one support plate profile.

In one embodiment, the fishplate of the coupling device comprises two parallel coplanar bearing plate profiles located at a transverse distance (in the x-direction) with respect to each other against which the rear side of the end of the continuous guide rail can be supported, and a stiffening plate profile bent out of the plane of the bearing plate profile and connecting the two parallel coplanar bearing plate profiles. In this way, the dimension of the fishplate in the depth direction (z-direction) is large and a large second moment of area is achieved with low material consumption, but at the same time a compact rail configuration is possible, since the transverse (x-direction) dimension of the fishplate can be made small. Preferably, the stiffening sheet profile is arranged between the two parallel coplanar supporting sheet profiles. In this way, the fishplate may be configured to form only a slight projection from the projection of the rail in the edge region of the fishplate. A further advantage is also that the stiffening sheet profiles between the coplanar support sheet profiles can be beside the fixing means, such as bolts, when seen in the z-direction. Another advantage is that the fishplate can be changed for different needs, more particularly for rails of different sizes or holes with different lateral distances, by using small modifications of essentially the same cross-sectional profile. That is, the coplanar bearer plate profiles may be configured at a suitable distance from each other, i.e. by configuring the bending angle between them and the stiffener profile such that the bearer plate profiles are at a suitable distance from each other. This is necessary, for example, so that the holes of the support plate profile can be fitted face to face with the holes of the guide rail. Preferably, in this embodiment, the stiffening sheet profiles form a recess arranged between the supporting sheet profiles, which recess is pressed down towards the rear side of the fishplate. Preferably, the stiffening sheet profile comprises a first stiffening sheet profile angled with respect to the support sheet profile and bent from one support sheet profile towards the rear side and a second stiffening sheet profile angled with respect to the support sheet profile and bent from the second support sheet profile towards the rear side. Between the first and the second stiffening sheet profile there can be stiffening sheet profiles which are parallel to the support sheet profile but lie in different planes to the support sheet profile. Alternatively, the first and second stiffening sheet profiles are side-by-side sheet profiles. In this case, it is preferable to have a bent portion therebetween. The angle of the bend is preferably at most 120 degrees, preferably at most 100 degrees.

Preferably, the coupling device comprises fixing means for fixing the guide rail to the support plate, in particular for fixing the guide rail against the support plate profile of the fishplate. Preferably, the fixing means comprise a through hole in the fishplate, which hole preferably traverses the support plate profile. Preferably, the fixing means further comprises joint means, such as a bolt, which can be tightened in order to achieve bolt tightening.

The material of the fishplate is preferably metal, such as steel. The material thickness thereof is preferably constant. The fishplate is preferably a gusset of uniform metal material, which is bent from the plate, in which case the shape described is achieved by bending it. The material thickness of the fishplate is preferably between 3mm and 2cm, more preferably between 5mm and 1.5 cm.

In the joint arrangement of the guide rails for elevators according to the invention, which comprises a guide rail line comprising a continuous guide rail in line and similar in cross-sectional shape, the continuous guide rails are connected to each other with any of the previously described coupling devices, so that the rear side of the end of the continuous guide rail is fixed to the fishplate to rest against the same support plate profile/profiles of said fishplate. Preferably, the rear side of the end of the guide rail is fastened to the fishplate with a tightenable joint arrangement, preferably with a bolt fastening, to rest against said (same) supporting plate profile/(of each other) plurality of supporting plate profiles of the fishplate.

In a preferred embodiment of the joint arrangement, the fishplate comprises a first stiffening plate profile deviating from the front side of the support plate profile and a second stiffening plate profile deviating from the rear side of the support plate profile on opposite sides of said support plate profile, the rear side of the end of the guide rail being fixed to the fishplate with a tightenable joint arrangement for leaning against said support plate profile/profiles of the fishplate, the joint arrangement forming a bolt fastening, wherein the head of the bolt and the guide rail are at least partly beside the first stiffening plate profile, seen in the depth direction (z) of the guide rail, and the nut of the bolt is at least partly beside the second stiffening plate profile, seen in the depth direction (z) of the guide rail. In this way a rigid joint is achieved, the material consumption of the fishplate being small, while the overall construction of the joint is very compact.

The elevator according to the invention comprises one or more elevator units to be moved, which elevator units comprise at least an elevator car, possibly a counterweight, and one or more guide rails comprising an elevator unit, which guide rails comprise continuous guide rails that are in line and similar in cross-sectional shape, and which continuous guide rails are connected to each other with any of the joint arrangements described above.

The elevator is most preferably an elevator applicable for the transport of persons and/or goods, which elevator is installed in the building to travel in a vertical direction, or at least in a substantially vertical direction, preferably on the basis of a staircase call and/or a car call. The elevator car may preferably have an interior space, which is most preferably adapted to receive a passenger or passengers. The elevator preferably comprises at least two, preferably more, floor landings to be reached. Some inventive embodiments are also presented in the descriptive section and in the drawings of the present application. The inventive content of the application can also be defined differently than in the claims presented below. The inventive content may also consist of several separate inventions, especially if the invention is considered in the light of expressions or implicit sub-tasks or from the point of view of advantages or categories of advantages achieved. In this case, some of the attributes contained in the claims below may be superfluous from the point of view of separate inventive concepts. The features of the various embodiments of the invention can be applied within the framework of the basic inventive concept together with other embodiments.

Drawings

The invention will now be described in more detail in connection with preferred embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1a-1c show a cross-sectional view of a fishplate of an arrangement for coupling guide rails of an elevator, a three-dimensional view of the fishplate and a joint arrangement with joint means according to a first embodiment of the invention;

fig. 2a-2c show a cross-sectional view of a fishplate of an arrangement for coupling guide rails of an elevator, a three-dimensional view of the fishplate and a joint arrangement with joint means according to a second embodiment of the invention;

fig. 3a-3c show a cross-section of a fishplate of an arrangement for coupling guide rails of an elevator, a three-dimensional view of the fishplate, and a joint arrangement with joint means according to a third embodiment of the invention;

fig. 4 presents a side view of an elevator according to an embodiment.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1-3 each show an arrangement 1, 1 ', 1 "for coupling guide rails of an elevator for coupling consecutive guide rails G of the elevator to each other, which arrangement comprises a fishplate 2, 2', 2", which fishplate 2, 2 ', 2 "is an elongated, angular plate comprising a number of plate profiles A, B, C, A', B ', C', a", B ", C" located beside each other in the length direction of the fishplate and longitudinal bends between the plate profiles located beside each other, in which case the plate profiles next to each other are angled relative to each other due to the bends. The plurality of plate profiles comprises in the embodiment of fig. 1a planar support plate profile a and in the embodiment of fig. 2-3 a plurality of coplanar planar support plate profiles a ', a ", the rear side of the end of the continuous guide rail G can be supported against the support plate profile/support plate profiles A, A', a". In embodiments with a plurality of plate profiles, the fishplate 2, 2 ', 2 "further comprises stiffening plate profiles B, C, B ', C ', B", C "bent out of the plane of the support plate profiles A, A ', a", e.g. stiffening plate profiles B, C, B ', C ', B ", C" bent out of the plane of the support plate profiles A, A ', a ", which are angled with respect to the aforementioned support plate profiles. The guide rails G placed/to be placed against the aforementioned support plate profiles A, A ', a "do not rest against the stiffening plate profiles B, C, B ', C ', B", C ", but said plate profiles are mainly used for stiffening fishplates. Fig. 1a, 2a, 3a each present a cross section of the fishplate of the embodiment, fig. 1b, 2b, 3b a three-dimensional view of the fishplate, and fig. 1c, 2c, 3c a cross section of a joint arrangement of a guide rail of an elevator, wherein the guide rail G is fixed against the fishplate of the embodiment of the figure. Each of the joint configurations of the guide rails of fig. 1-3 is preferably according to fig. 4, in which case fig. 1c, 2c, 3c present a cross-section at point B-B of fig. 4. Fig. 4 also presents the elevator car 10 of the elevator and guide shoes 20 connected to the elevator car 10 and shows possible positions of the walls 21 of the elevator shaft.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 1, the fishplate 2 of the coupling device comprises, on the opposite side of the bearing plate profile a, a first stiffening plate profile B deviating to the front side of the bearing plate profile a and a second stiffening plate profile C deviating to the rear side of the bearing plate profile. The first stiffening plate profile B is on the first longitudinal edge of the fishplate 2 and deviates from the support plate profile a towards the front side of the support plate profile a and thus also towards the front side of the fishplate, i.e. the side on which the guide G is located when the guide G is supported against the fishplate. The second stiffening web profile C is on the second longitudinal edge of the fishplate 2 and deviates from the support web profile a towards the rear side of the support web profile a and thus also towards the rear side of the fishplate, i.e. the side opposite to the side on which the guide rail G is located when the guide rail G is supported against the fishplate. With the shown shape, good rigidity in the z-direction is achieved with a fishplate that takes up only little space. In this way, the z-direction of the fishtail can be doubled in size, for example, compared to a situation in which both stiffening sheet profiles C are offset to the front or rear side. Good stiffness is achieved because the second moment of area to resist bending about the x-axis of the piece is large. However, this solution is very compact, since both the stiffening sheet profiles B and C can be placed to the greatest extent alongside the fixing means 5 belonging to the coupling device and the rail itself. The joint arrangement to be achieved is thus rigid, but at the same time takes up little space. On the other hand, the rigidity achieved enables a thinner fishplate than previously used to achieve the required rigidity. In this case, the solution enables material savings. When using a tightenable fixing means 5, e.g. a bolt fastening, as the fixing means of the joint, the maximum distance in the z-direction of the fixing means from the rear side of the guide rail is small, in which case the guide rail can be fixed closer to the elevator structure on the rear side of the guide rail than before, e.g. closer to the wall of the elevator hoistway. The stiffening sheet profiles and also the carrier sheet profiles which are offset to the front side and to the rear side are preferably embodied as shown in the figures, in which case only two longitudinal bends are provided in the fishplate. Preferably, in this case there are only three longitudinal plate profiles beside each other (in the figure plate profiles B, A, C).

In the embodiment shown in fig. 2-3, the fishplate 2 ', 2 "of the coupling device comprises two parallel coplanar bearing plate profiles (a', a") against which the rear side of the ends of the continuous guide rail G is supported/can be supported, the fishplate further comprising a reinforcing plate profile B ', C' bent out of the plane of the bearing plate profile a ', a "and connecting the aforementioned two parallel coplanar bearing plate profiles a', a"; b ', C ', D '. The reinforcing plate profiles B 'and C'; b ", C" are between the aforementioned two parallel coplanar support plate profiles a ', a ", so that between said support plate profiles a ', a" a recess is formed which is pressed down towards the rear side of the fishplates 2 ', 2 ". The reinforcing plate section bars B 'and C'; b ", C", D "comprise a first stiffening sheet profile B ', B" angled with respect to said support sheet profiles a', a "and bent from one support sheet profile a ', a" towards the rear side, and a second stiffening sheet profile C', C "angled with respect to said support sheet profiles a ', a" and bent from a second support sheet profile a', a "towards the rear side. In the embodiment of fig. 2, the first reinforcing sheet profiles B ', B "and the second reinforcing sheet profiles C', C" are side-by-side sheet profiles. Between them are bends forming an angle, preferably at most 120 degrees, more preferably at most 100 degrees. In this case, the deviation of the recesses can be made narrow and deep, in which case the stiffening effect is great, but a close placement of the bearing plate profiles relative to one another is enabled, and thus the fixing holes can be made close to one another in the bearing plate profiles. However, the angle may be of other sizes. It is permissible to form small circles at the points of the bends. In the embodiment shown, the stiffening sheet profiles B ', C' can be planar, but they can also be curved instead. For example, in the embodiment of fig. 2, the stiffening sheet profiles B 'and C' may be curved, in which case it is not necessary to form a visible sharp point between them, for example if the bending radius of the bend between the stiffening sheet profiles B 'and C' is almost the same or even the same as the bending radius of the stiffening sheet profile itself. The embodiment of fig. 3 is otherwise similar to the embodiment of fig. 2, except that here between the first and second reinforcing-plate profiles B ", C" is a reinforcing-plate profile D "which is parallel but in a different plane with respect to the supporting-plate profile a". In this way, a structure is achieved which has a large cross-sectional area (cross-sectional area of profiles D "and a") independent of one another in the z-direction. Due to this, the second moment of area against bending about the x-direction axis of the piece is large in cross section, and this piece can thus be formed to be rigid in the z-direction, i.e. strongly against bending about the width-direction x-axis, even with a thin material thickness. Also, the rigidity achieved by the embodiment of fig. 2-3 enables a thinner fishplate 2', 2 "than previously used to achieve the required rigidity. In this case, the solution enables material savings. Another advantage is that when using a tightenable fixing means 5, e.g. a bolt fastening, as the fixing means of the joint, the maximum distance in the z-direction of the fixing means from the rear side of the guide rail is small, in which case the guide rail can be fixed closer to the elevator structure on the rear side of the guide rail than before, e.g. closer to the wall of the elevator hoistway. A further benefit of the solution of fig. 2-3 is that the fishplate can be changed for different needs, more particularly for rails with holes of different sizes or with different lateral distances, by small adjustments using substantially the same cross-sectional profile. That is, the support plate profiles a ', a "can be configured to be located at a suitable distance from each other, i.e. by connecting them with the stiffening plate profiles B ', C '; the bending angle between B ", C" is configured such that the support plate profiles are at a suitable distance from each other, so that the holes in the support plate profiles can be fitted face to face with the holes in the guide rail.

In the shown embodiment, the coupling device 1, 1 ', 1 "further comprises fixing means 5 for fixing the end of the guide rail G to the fishplate 2, 2', 2", more particularly for fixing the end of the guide rail G against the support plate profile/support plate profiles A, A ', a "of the fishplate 2, 2', 2". The coupling device 1, 1', 1 "preferably comprises a through hole h in the fishplate. The through-hole h runs through the support plate profiles A, A', a ″ in the thickness direction z thereof. Above and below the height midpoint of the fishplates 2, 2 ', 2 "in the longitudinal direction of the fishplates 2, 2', 2" (i.e. the y-direction) there are distributed a plurality of through-holes, in which case two successive guide rails G may be fixed to the fishplates, each provided with its own through-hole. For two guide rails G, there are preferably 4 through holes, as shown in the figure. The guide G comprises through holes distributed correspondingly to be placed face to face with the holes of the fishplate. In this way, tightenable bolts can be placed through the guide rails and the fishplates 2, 2', 2 ". The bolt fastening is preferably of the type shown, i.e. a bolt is placed through the fishplates 2, 2 ', 2 "(which support plate profile) and the guide rail G, which bolt fastens the fishplates 2, 2', 2" and the guide rail G together, for example by means of a nut that can be screwed, which nut is on the opposite side of the tightening bundle to the head of the bolt.

Fig. 4 presents an elevator according to an embodiment, in which elevator there is a joint arrangement comprising a fishplate according to any of fig. 1c, 2c or 3 c. Each joint according to fig. 1c, 2c or 3c is arranged at the point of its cross-section B-B preferably according to fig. 4. The joint configuration of fig. 4 is according to fig. 1c, 2c or 3c at the point of the cross section a-a. In this joint configuration, the guide rail line L comprises consecutive guide rails G that are in line face to face and similar in cross-sectional shape, which consecutive guide rails G are connected to each other with a coupling device according to any of fig. 1, 2 or 3, so that the rear side of the ends of the consecutive guide rails G are fixed to the fishplate 2, 2 ', 2 "to rest against the same support plate profile/support plate profiles A, A', a" of the fishplate. The rear side of the end of the guide rail G is fastened with a tightenable joint arrangement 5, preferably with bolts as shown, to the fishplate 2, 2 ', 2 "to rest against the same support plate profile/support plate profiles A, A', a" of the fishplate.

The material of the fishplates 2, 2', 2 "is preferably metal, such as steel. The material thickness thereof is preferably constant. The material thickness of the fishplate is preferably between 3mm and 2cm, more preferably between 5mm and 1.5 cm. The fishplate is preferably bent from a flat plate into its shape. The holes of the fishplate/rail may be arranged in an alternating manner in the state shown. Alternatively, their number may also differ from that shown. The rear side of the end of the continuous guide rail G may be fixed to rest on the fishplate 2, 2 ', 2 "by direct contact against its support plate profile/profiles A, A', a", as shown, but alternatively the rear side of the end of the guide rail G may be fixed to rest on the fishplate 2, 2 ', 2 ", by means of a thin spacer plate (not shown) against its support plate profile/profiles A, A', a". Preferably, the aforementioned coupling device is used for connecting guide rails having a planar rear side to each other. The cross-section of the rail G may be T-shaped as shown in the figures, but the joint shown can also be applied in connection with other types of rails. Fig. 4 presents an elevator in which the guide rail line L is a guide rail line of the elevator car 10, but the guide rails of a possible counterweight guide rail line can also be formed in a corresponding manner. The term "angular plate-shaped member" refers to a member having substantially the same cross-section in the longitudinal direction of the member and being manufactured from a plate and having a profile comprising corners. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that, in the development of this technology, the basic inventive concept may be implemented in many different ways. The invention and its embodiments are not limited to the examples described above but may vary within the scope of the claims.

Claims (8)

1. Joint arrangement for guide rails of an elevator, which joint arrangement comprises a guide rail line (L) comprising a continuous guide rail (G) which is rectilinear and similar in cross-sectional shape, the cross-section of which is T-shaped and which is connected to each other with a coupling device (1) comprising a fishplate (2), which fishplate (2) is an elongated angle-plate-shaped piece, comprising only three plate profiles (A, B, C) lying beside each other and extending in the length direction of the fishplate (2) and only two longitudinal bends between the plate profiles (A, B, C) lying beside each other, wherein the three plate profiles (A, B, C) comprise a planar supporting plate profile (A) against which the rear side of the end of the continuous guide rail (G) can be supported, and a stiffening profile (B, C) bent away from the plane of the planar supporting plate profile (A), the reinforcing profiles (B, C) comprise, on opposite sides of the rest bar profile (A), a first rest bar profile (B) offset to the front side of the rest bar profile (A) and a second rest bar profile (C) offset to the rear side of the rest bar profile (A), the continuous guide rails (G) being connected to each other by means of a coupling device (1) in such a way that the rear sides of the ends of the continuous guide rails (G) are fixed to the fishplate (2) to rest against the rest bar profile (A) of the fishplate and are placed against the guide rails (G) of the preceding rest bar profile (A) without resting against the rest bar profiles (B, C).

2. Joint arrangement according to claim 1, in which arrangement the rear side of the end of the guide rail (G) is fixed to the fishplate (2) with a tightenable joint means (5) to rest against the bearing plate profile (a) of the fishplate (2).

3. Joint arrangement according to claim 2, in which arrangement the joint means (5) is a bolt fastening means.

4. Joint arrangement according to claim 1, in which arrangement the rear side of the end of the guide rail (G) is fixed to the fishplate (2) against the support plate profile (a) of the fishplate (2) with a tightenable joint device (5) forming a bolt fastening, wherein the head of the bolt and the guide rail (G) are at least partly beside the first stiffening plate profile (B) seen in the depth direction (z) of the guide rail (G), and the nut of the bolt is at least partly beside the second stiffening plate profile (C) seen in the depth direction (z) of the guide rail (G).

5. Joint arrangement according to any of claims 1-4, in which arrangement the first and second stiffener profiles (B, C) are parallel to each other and at right angles to the rest bar profile (A).

6. Joint arrangement according to any of claims 1-4, in which arrangement the coupling device (1) comprises fixing means (5, h) for fixing the guide rail (G) to the fishplate (2).

7. Joint arrangement according to claim 6, the fixing means (5, h) being for fixing the guide rail (G) against the bearing plate profile (A) of the fishplate (2).

8. Elevator, comprising one or more elevator units to be moved, which elevator units comprise at least an elevator car (10), a counterweight and one or more guide rails (L) of the elevator unit, which guide rails (L) comprise continuous guide rails (G) that are in line and similar in cross-sectional shape, and which continuous guide rails (G) are T-shaped in cross-section and are connected to each other with a joint arrangement according to any of the preceding claims.