US-20260125241-A1 - ELEVATOR ARRANGEMENT EXHIBITING ECCENTRIC GUIDE RAILS AND AN ECCENTRIC DRIVE UNIT AS WELL AS USE OF AN ECCENTRICALLY ARRANGED DRIVE UNIT FOR SUCH ELEVATOR ARRANGEMENTS

US20260125241A1US 20260125241 A1US20260125241 A1US 20260125241A1US-20260125241-A1

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an elevator arrangement exhibiting at least one cabin and at least one drive unit, wherein the at least one cabin is coupled with the drive unit by traction member interacting with the drive unit in a drive zone, wherein the cabin is guided by cabin guide rails arranged eccentrically according to a horizontal direction/axis with respect to a lift shaft centre line; wherein the drive unit's drive zone is arranged eccentrically with respect to the lift shaft centre line, wherein the cabin guide rail's eccentricity is opposite the drive zone's eccentricity. The eccentricity of the drive zone is at least a predefined/predefinable factor of the eccentricity of the cabin guide rail(s). Such configuration also allows for favourable arrangement of both the cabin guide rail(s) and the drive unit in context with emergency stop situations.

Inventors

Raul Matesanz
JOSE LUIS BLANCO SÁNCHEZ
Luis Prados
Oscar Aglio

Assignees

TK ELEVATOR INNOVATION AND OPERATIONS GMBH

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20230926
Priority Date: 20221005

Claims (11)

1 . An elevator arrangement comprising: at least one cabin; and at least one drive unit, wherein: the at least one cabin is coupled with the drive unit by at least one traction member interacting with the drive unit in a drive zone; the at least one cabin is guided by at least one cabin guide rail which is arranged eccentrically according to a horizontal direction with respect to a lift shaft centre line ; the drive unit's drive zone is arranged eccentrically with respect to the lift shaft centre line, wherein the eccentricity of the cabin guide rail(s) is opposite the eccentricity of the drive zone such that the drive unit's drive zone is arranged in horizontal distance with respect to the at least one cabin guide rail and also with respect to the lift shaft centre line, the eccentricity of the drive zone is dependent on a predefined/predefinable eccentricity of the cabin guide rail(s), and the eccentricity of the drive zone is at least a predefined/predefinable factor of the eccentricity of the cabin guide rail(s), wherein the drive unit having a belt drive, the traction member is a belt, and the eccentricity of the drive zone is defined depending on the number of belts.
2 . The elevator arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the cabin guide rail's eccentricity is within the range 50-150 mm, and wherein the drive zone's eccentricity is at least factor 1.25 of the cabin guide rail's eccentricity.
3 . The elevator arrangement according to claim 2 , wherein the eccentricity of the drive zone is defined depending on the number of belts based on the at least factor 1.25 of the cabin guide rail's eccentricity for the belt drive having two belts and based on at least factor 1.55 of the cabin guide rail's eccentricity for the belt drive having three belts.
4 . The elevator arrangement according to claim 2 , wherein the eccentricity of the drive zone is at least 3% or at most 6% or 8% respectively with respect to the cabin's extension in said horizontal direction and opposite the cabin guide rail's eccentricity; or wherein the drive unit interacts with two belts, wherein the eccentricity of the drive zone is at least 6% and/or at most 8% respectively with respect to the cabin's extension in said horizontal direction and opposite the cabin guide rail's eccentricity; or wherein the drive unit interacts with three belts, wherein the eccentricity of the drive zone is at least 5% or at most 7% respectively with respect to the cabin's extension in said horizontal direction and opposite the cabin guide rail's eccentricity.
5 . The elevator arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one cabin is guided by two cabin guide rails arranged on opposite sides of the cabin, wherein the two cabin guide rails are arranged eccentrically with respect to the lift shaft centre line, wherein the two cabin guide rails are arranged with same eccentricity.
6 . The elevator arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the elevator arrangement two counterweight guide rails for at least one counterweight, which are arranged symmetrically with respect to a centre of the drive zone.
7 . The elevator arrangement according to claim 6 , wherein the drive unit is arranged such that the drive zone or the at least one traction member is arranged at least approximately at the same horizontal position according to the horizontal direction of the lift shaft centre line as the x-position of the two counterweight guide rails.
8 . The elevator arrangement according to claim 6 , wherein the cabin guide rail's eccentricity and the drive zone's eccentricity are defined such that the centre of the drive zone is arranged in a horizontal distance to the lift shaft centre line at least factor 1.25 of the cabin guide rail's eccentricity; wherein the eccentricity of the cabin guide rail(s) is at least 3% and at most 6% with respect to the cabin's extension in said horizontal direction; and wherein the eccentricity of the drive zone is at least 3% with respect to the cabin's extension in said horizontal direction and opposite the cabin guide rail's eccentricity.
9 . A method for use of a drive unit arranged eccentrically with respect to a lift shaft centre line, the method comprising: driving at least one cabin of an elevator arrangement, wherein: the elevator arrangement having cabin guide rails which are arranged eccentrically in a horizontal direction with respect to the lift shaft centre line on one side of the lift shaft centre line, the cabin guide rail's eccentricity is used for defining an amount of the eccentricity of the position of a centre of a drive zone of the drive unit in opposed direction with respect to the lift shaft centre line on the other side of the lift shaft centre line, the drive zone's eccentricity is at least 5% with respect to the cabin's extension in said horizontal direction, wherein the eccentricity of the drive zone is dependent on a predefined/predefinable eccentricity of the cabin guide rail(s), wherein the eccentricity of the drive zone is at least a predefined/predefinable factor of the eccentricity of the cabin guide rail(s), wherein the drive unit includes a belt drive, wherein the traction member is a belt, and the eccentricity of the drive zone is defined depending on the number of belts.
10 . The method according to claim 9 , wherein the eccentricity of the drive zone is defined depending on the number of belts based on at least factor 1.25 of the cabin guide rail's eccentricity for the belt drive having two belts.
11 . The method according to claim 10 , wherein the eccentricity of the drive zone is defined depending on the number of belts based on at least factor 1.55 of the cabin guide rail's eccentricity for the belt drive having three belts.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a U.S. National Phase application of PCT/EP2023/076575, filed Sep. 26, 2023, which in turn claims priority from European Patent Application No. 22382933.4, filed on Oct. 5, 2022, the disclosure of both which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure refers to an elevator arrangement exhibiting at least one cabin and at least one drive unit, wherein the at least one cabin is coupled with the drive unit by at least one traction member interacting with the drive unit in a drive zone, wherein the at least one cabin is guided by cabin guide rails respectively arranged eccentrically with respect to a lift shaft centre line or to the respective cabin centre line. The present disclosure also refers to use of at least one eccentrically arranged drive unit for such an elevator arrangement. In particular, the present disclosure refers to elevator arrangements according to the independent claim. BACKGROUND Elevator arrangements exhibiting at least one cabin arranged within a lift shaft are favourably designed such that the lift shaft's dimensions can be slim. Usually, a drive unit and traction member coupling the at least one cabin and the drive unit are arranged on one side of the respective cabin or lift shaft, especially on the side on which a counterweight is guided by means of counterweight guide rails. The at least one cabin is guided by cabin guide rails, wherein at least one cabin guide rail is arranged on the side of the lift shaft on which the drive unit is arranged. Thus, there is a need for a favourable arrangement of at least the cabin guide rail(s) and the drive unit such as the traction member. The following publications respectively describe an elevator system exhibiting a favourable relative arrangement of guide rails and drive components: CN 111689 343 A, US 2007/102245 A1. SUMMARY It is an object of the present disclosure to provide for an elevator arrangement allowing for a favourable position of the drive unit, especially in view of favourable safety characteristics. A/the object of the present disclosure is to provide for an elevator arrangement allowing for a favourable position of traction member of the drive unit. The object of the disclosure is solved by the features of the independent main claims. Advantageous features are indicated in the subclaims. The features of the subclaims can be combined with the features of the main claims and further subclaims. The object is therefore solved by an elevator arrangement exhibiting at least one cabin and at least one drive unit, wherein the at least one cabin is coupled with the drive unit by at least one traction member interacting with the drive unit in a drive zone, wherein the at least one cabin is guided by at least one cabin guide rail (such as by a cabin guide rail or by two cabin guide rails arranged on opposite sides of the cabin), wherein the at least one cabin guide rail is arranged eccentrically according to a horizontal direction/axis with respect to a lift shaft centre line; wherein the drive unit's drive zone is arranged eccentrically (y-position in a top view, according to said horizontal direction/axis) with respect to the lift shaft centre line aligned in x-direction (such as with respect to the cabin centre line aligned in x-direction), wherein the eccentricity of the cabin guide rail(s) is opposite the eccentricity of the drive zone (y-position, according to said horizontal direction/axis) such that the drive unit's drive zone is arranged in horizontal distance (y-distance) with respect to the at least one cabin guide rail and also with respect to the lift shaft centre line. According to the teaching of the present disclosure, the eccentricity of the drive zone is dependent on a predefined/predefinable eccentricity of the cabin guide rail(s), wherein the eccentricity of the drive zone is at least a predefined/predefinable factor of the eccentricity of the cabin guide rail(s). This configuration provides for favourable characteristics especially in context with emergency stop behaviour. This also allows for favourable positions of the traction member(s) within the lift shaft, especially such that the components within the lift shaft do not require much space in x-direction. The present disclosure is based on the concept of an unbalanced (eccentric) arrangement of the cabin guide rails, and the present disclosure is based on the teaching of eccentrically arranging the drive unit depending on the amount of eccentricity of the cabin guide rails. In contrast to prior art, the present disclosure teaches to eccentrically arrange both the cabin guide rails and the drive unit with respect to a/the cabin centre line, thereby ensuring favourable configurations especially in safety conditions or with respect to system restart after emergency stops. It should be noted that elevator design is usually driven by most comfortable travelli