Elevator with machine room below

• US 6,247,559 B1
• Filed: 11/01/1999
• Issued: 06/19/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Inventio AG (Schindler Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Inventio AG (Schindler Holding AG)
• Inventors: Ach, Ernst
• Primary Examiner(s): Lillis, Eileen D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, THUY VAN
• Application Number:
  US09/430,846
• Time in Patent Office: 596 Days
• Field of Search: 187/414, 187/250, 187/251, 187/263, 187/272, 187/275
• US Class Current: 187/414
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 11/004 in the machine room
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 13/30 Constructional features of doors or gates of interest apart from this application E06B
• CPC Class Codes: B66B 13/306 Details of door jambs

Abstract

At a hoistway door on the side of an entrance area there is provided a movable sill that can be moved to uncover an opening that affords access to a machine room lying below the entrance area. The machine room is accessible not only from the access opening, but also from a hoistway pit of the elevator hoistway. When the elevator car is stuck at the lowest floor, emergency operation functions can be carried out through the uncovered access opening. The necessary operating elements of a drive device in the machine room are arranged in such a manner that they can be operated manually through the access opening.

Claims

1. An elevator structure comprising:

an elevator hoistway for travel of an elevator car and having a pair of side walls extending between a back wall and a front wall;

a hoistway pit at a bottom end of said hoistway, said hoistway pit being formed by lower ends of said side walls and a lower end of said back wall, said hoistway pit being open at a front;

a landing door in a door opening in said front wall at a floor adjacent an upper end of said hoistway pit, said landing door being adjacent an entrance area of said floor outside said hoistway front wall to permit passengers to move between an elevator car in said hoistway and said entrance area;

an access means in said entrance area of said floor adjacent said door opening;

a machine room located below said entrance area and being accessible from said hoistway pit and through said access means, said machine room being formed by machine room walls extending from said lower ends of said side walls and being closed by a ceiling formed by said floor, said machine room being open to said open front of said hoistway pit; and

an elevator drive equipment positioned in said machine room whereby said elevator drive equipment is accessible for maintenance work by a person entering said machine room both from said open front of said hoistway pit and through said access means.

2. The elevator structure according to claim 1 wherein said access means includes an access opening formed in said entrance area of said floor and a movable sill positioned in said access opening.

3. The elevator structure according to claim 2 wherein said movable sill is removable by lifting from said access opening.

4. The elevator structure according to claim 2 including a frame mounted in said access opening and having a groove for removably retaining said movable sill.

5. The elevator structure according to claim 2 including a frame mounted in said access opening for removably retaining said movable sill, said frame having one side attached to said floor and an opposite side attached to a fixed sill in said door opening.

6. The elevator structure according to claim 2 including a hinge attaching said movable sill to said entrance area of said floor in said access opening and said movable sill is removable by swiveling about said hinge.

7. The elevator structure according to claim 1 wherein said drive device includes operating elements positioned adjacent to said access opening for manual operation through said access opening.

8. The elevator structure according to claim 7 wherein said drive device is a hydraulic drive unit and said operating elements include a hand pump.

9. The elevator structure according to claim 7 wherein said drive device is a hydraulic drive unit and said operating elements include an emergency lowering valve.

10. The elevator structure according to claim 7 wherein said drive device is a hydraulic drive unit and said operating elements include a shutoff valve.

11. In an elevator structure including an elevator hoistway for travel of an elevator car and having a pair of side walls extending between a back wall and a front wall, a hoistway pit at a bottom end of the hoistway, a landing door in a door opening in the front wall at a floor adjacent an upper end of the hoistway pit, the landing door being adjacent an entrance area of the floor outside the hoistway front wall to permit passengers to move between an elevator car in the hoistway and the entrance area, a machine room located below the entrance area and being accessible from the hoistway pit, and an elevator drive equipment positioned in the machine room, an access apparatus comprising:

an access opening formed in the entrance area of the floor adjacent the door opening in the front wall;

a movable sill removably retained in said access opening whereby the elevator drive equipment is accessible for maintenance work both from the hoistway pit and through said access opening; and

a frame mounted in said access opening and having a surrounding groove for removably retaining said movable sill, said groove opening upwardly to prevent water and dirt in the entrance area from entering the machine room through said access opening.