The present invention relates to a method as defined in the preamble of claim 1 and to an arrangement as defined in the preamble of claim 14 for installing an elevator.

In prior art solutions where elevators are needed before the building has been completed so-called jump elevators are used during the construction time. Usually jump elevators are used only in high-rise buildings and all the work relat ^¬ ed to jump elevators is rather complicated because the whole temporary machine room with its machinery and electric connections is moved in a stepwise manner to a higher floor and the at the same time the length of the hoisting rope in use is increased accordingly. That means in general that all the components depending on the hoisting height, such as car cables, compensating ropes, overspeed governors and shaft electrification and shaft cables should be extended over the entire length of the finished elevator shaft. All this caus- es a lot of work, which also make the process slow.

US patent No. US5033586 shows a prior art solution where a temporary elevator machine room module comprising two levels in a frame can be lifted to a desired height and secured at its new position. The elevator machinery with the ordinary machine room components and hoisting rope supplies with rope reels are placed on the upper space of the module. When the machine room module is to be moved, the elevator car is locked at its place, and the required additional rope length is supplied from the reels of the hoisting rope supply. A disadvantage with this solution is that the whole hoisting rope supply with the reels and all the components of the ma ^¬ chine room have to be lifted together with the machine room, and in addition all the electrification has to be deactivat- ed and then built again when the elevator machine room module is in its new location. Heavy hoists are needed and the installation work is difficult and also slow and dangerous. The dismantling of the temporary machine room module causes also a lot of waste material and takes time.

The object of the present invention is to eliminate draw ^¬ backs of prior art technology and to achieve an advanta ^¬ geous, fast and easy method and arrangement for installing an elevator in lower-rise buildings so that the elevator can be used during the construction time and the use can be ex ^¬ tended to a higher operation level as the construction work is progressing, and which elevator is also applicable for use as a normal elevator in the finished building. The meth- od according to the invention is characterized by what is presented in the characterization part of claim 1, and the arrangement according to the invention is characterized by what is presented in the characterization part of claim 14. Other embodiments of the invention are characterized by what is presented in the other claims.

The inventive content of the application can also be defined differently than in the claims presented below. The in ^¬ ventive content may also consist of several separate inven- tions, 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. Likewise the different details presented in connection with each embodiment can also be applied in other embodiments. In addition it can be stated that at least some of the subordinate claims can, in at least some situations, be deemed to be inventive in their own right. The method and arrangement according to the invention have several useful advantages. Among other things it makes it possible to use the elevator during the construction time in an economical and fast way. The method and arrangement ac ^¬ cording to the invention makes it possible to use a jump- elevator installation technology economically also in lower- rise buildings. In that case elevators can be used in lower- rise buildings earlier which increases a total usage of the elevators. Because there is no need to lift the hoisting ma ^¬ chinery and all the rope supplies in connection with the jump the jump is easier and faster to make and does not need as heavy hoisting devices as prior art systems. One big ad ^¬ vantage is that there is no need to move the electricity supply because the hoisting machinery stays at its place all the time. Yet one advantage is that the own hoisting machin ^¬ ery can be used at least partially for the installation. Al ^¬ so one advantage is that the method and arrangement accord ^¬ ing to the invention cause only a minimal amount of waste material, because, for example the method and arrangement according to the invention does not need a temporary machine room that should be dismantled after the installation.

An advantageous way to carry out the invention is to install an elevator, comprising at least a car, a balancing weight, their guide rails, hoisting machinery, suspension ropes connecting the car and the balancing weight from up, a traction member connecting the car and the balancing weight from down and driving wheel driven by the hoisting machine and trac- tively connected to the traction member in such manner that the elevator is installed at least in two phases, using so called jump method. Between the jumps the elevator is serv ^¬ ing number of the floors, usually the lowermost floors of the building or the lowermost floors of a particular eleva- tor shaft. During a jump phase the working elevator is build taller and the extensions needed for each suspension rope is taken from a respective suspension supply reel and extension needed for each traction member is are taken from a respec- tive traction member supply reel.

During the jumps, both suspension ropes and traction ropes can be released from their reels at the same time. Suspen ^¬ sion rope release and traction member release from their reels can be done in a sequence or by alternating them.

Preferably the hoisting machine is installed to its final place in early phase of the installation and its place is not changed during or between the jumps. In the an auxiliary hoist is preferably used, when the pulley (s) which sus- pend(s) the suspension ropes above the elevator car are moved to an upper position.

In the following, the invention will be described in detail by the aid of example embodiments by referring to the at ^¬ tached simplified and diagrammatic drawings, wherein

Fig. 1 presents in a simplified and diagrammatic front view an elevator arrangement according to the invention with an elevator car capable for a normal service in the elevator shaft when the building is in the construction phase,

Fig. 2 presents in a simplified and diagrammatic front view another elevator arrangement according to the invention with an elevator car capable for a normal service in the elevator shaft when the building is in the construction phase,

Fig. 3 presents in a simplified and diagrammatic front view an elevator arrangement according to Fig. 1 in the situation where a jump to a higher level is in its initial phase,

Fig. 4 presents in a simplified and diagrammatic front view an elevator arrangement according to Fig. 1 in the situation where a jump to a higher level is in its final phase,

Fig. 5 presents in a simplified and diagrammatic front view an elevator arrangement according to Fig. 1 in the situation where a jump to a higher level has been just completed,

Fig. 6 presents in a simplified and diagrammatic front view an elevator arrangement according to Fig. 2 in the situation where a jump to a higher level is in its initial phase,

Fig. 7 presents in a simplified and diagrammatic front view an elevator arrangement according to Fig. 2 in the situation where a jump to a higher level is in its final phase,

Fig. 8 presents in a simplified and diagrammatic front view an elevator arrangement according to Fig. 2 in the situation where a jump to a higher level has been just completed,

Fig. 9 presents in a simplified and diagrammatic front view yet another elevator arrangement according to the invention in the situation where a jump to a higher level is in its initial phase,

Fig. 10 presents in a simplified and diagrammatic front view an elevator arrangement according to Fig. 9 in the situation where a jump to a higher level is in its final phase, and

Fig. 11 presents in a simplified and diagrammatic front view an elevator arrangement according to the invention in the situation where the building is in its final height and the elevator is in its normal service .

It is essential to the solution according to the invention that any temporary machine room is not needed and that the hoisting machinery is not lifted during jumps to a higher level .

Figures 1 and 2 present two basic embodiments of a method and an arrangement according to the invention for installing an elevator that is capable for a normal service in the low ^¬ ermost parts of the elevator shaft when the building is in the construction phase. In the embodiment of Fig. 1 the in ^¬ stallation is done without a special installation stage 12 and in the embodiment of Fig. 2 the installation is done with such kind of a special installation stage 12 with safety railings 12a. Otherwise the installation methods can be basically similar but some installation phases can be performed better on the installation stage 12 than on the roof of the elevator car. The basic embodiments of Figs. 1 and 2 comprise an elevator car 1 that is arranged to move up and down in an elevator shaft along the guide rails 2. The elevator car 1 is sus ^¬ pended by suspension ropes la that are connected between a balancing weight 3 and the elevator car 1 so that the first ends of the suspension ropes la are secured to the upper part of the balancing weight 3 and from the balancing weight 3 the suspension ropes la are fed upwards to go over and around a first and second diverting pulley 7 that are jour- naled on their shafts at a support beam 2a which is fastened to the guide rails 2 above the elevator car 1. The balancing weight 3 is arranged to run along its own guide rails that are not shown in the figures for the sake of clarity. In ^¬ stead of the balancing weight 3 also a counterweight can be used, but later only the term balancing weight is mentioned. From the second diverting pulley 7 the suspension ropes la descend to a rope supply reel 9 that is secured on the roof of the elevator car 1. The rope supply reel 9 acts as the first supply reel. Depending on need the rope supply reels 9 can also be more than one. The rope supply reel 9 acts as a rope supply for the jumps to higher levels. During the nor ^¬ mal service of the elevator in the construction phase the rope supply reel 9 is locked from rotating and the suspen ^¬ sion ropes la are secured by clamps or other suitable way so that the length of the suspension ropes la between the car 1 and the balancing weight 3 does not change unintentionally. An over speed governor 8 is assembled in the support beam 2a to control possible over speed cases. The supporting and moving of the elevator car 1 are separated from each other. The elevator car 1 is driven by a hoisting machinery 4 equipped with a drive wheel 5. The hoisting machinery 4 is placed in the lower part of the elevator shaft below the elevator car 1 into its final location in the initial installation phase before the later jumps to be done. A traction member lb is connected between the balanc ^¬ ing weight 3 and the elevator car 1. The traction member lb can be a single member or a bunch of similar parallel mem- bers, for instance the traction member lb can be a toothed belt, chain or other type of member that does not slip on the drive wheel 5.

A first end of the traction member lb is secured in its fas- tening point lc at the bottom of the elevator car 1 and from the fastening point lc the traction member lb is passed around and under the drive sheave 5 of the hoisting machin ^¬ ery 4, and from the drive sheave 5 the traction member lb is further passed under and around a diverting pulley 6 to a supply reel 10 that is secured on the lower part of the bal ^¬ ancing weight 3. The supply reel 10 acts as the second sup ^¬ ply reel. Depending on need the supply reels 10 can also be more than one. The supply reel 10 acts as a traction member supply for the jumps to higher levels. During the normal service of the elevator in the construction phase the supply reel 10 is locked from rotating and the traction member lb is secured by clamps or other suitable way so that the length of the traction member lb between the car 1 and the balancing weight 3 does not change unintentionally.

In the embodiment of Fig. 1 an auxiliary hoist 11 used dur ^¬ ing the installation of the elevator is suspended from a fixed point of the building by a suspension rope or chain 11a. The auxiliary hoist 11 has a hoisting rope or chain lib that is secured to the support beam 2a and to the elevator car 1 in turns when making a jump. In the embodiment of Fig. 2 the auxiliary hoist 11 used during the installation of the elevator is suspended from the installation stage 12 that has been secured in the upper part of the guide rails 2. The auxiliary hoist 11 with its ropes is basically similar to the hoist 11 shown in Fig. 1.

The first method according to the invention comprises among other things for instance the following steps in the initial phase :

Initial rise installation

Installation of the final hoisting machinery 4 with the final drive wheel 5 into their final location in the lower part of the elevator shaft, and installa ^¬ tion of the first guide rails 2

Installation of the over speed governor 8 and a tension weight

Installation of the balancing weight 3 to its own guide rails

Assembling the support beam 2a with its diverting pulleys 7 and supporting the support beam 2a on the roof of the elevator car 1

Suspending the elevator car 1 from the auxiliary hoist 11, and lifting the elevator car 1 with the support beam 2a upwards in the elevator shaft by the help of the auxiliary hoist 11

Installation of the next upper guide rails 2 and, for instance, landing doors when working on the roof of the elevator car 1

Securing the support beam 2a to the guide rails 2 at an appropriate height 9) Installation of other components, such as electrification, the suspension ropes la and the traction member lb

10) Disengaging the auxiliary hoist 11 from the elevator car 1

11) Tensioning of the traction member lb

12) Commissioning of the elevator.

After the last step 12) the elevator car 1 can run in the elevator shaft and the elevator is able to serve the lower ^¬ most floors of the building though the building is still un ^¬ der construction.

Figures 3-5 show different situations during the installa- tion phase according to the invention when the separate installation stage 12 is not used and certain installation phases are made on the roof of the elevator car 1. In Fig. 3 the initial installation has been done and a jump to a higher level is in its initial phase, and in Fig. 4 the jump is in its final phase. Whereas in the situation of Fig. 5 the jump has just been completed.

The first method according to the invention comprises among other things for instance the following steps in the jump situation:

13) Running the elevator car 1 with its own hoisting machinery 4 to its uppermost position

14) Suspending the elevator car 1 from the auxiliary hoist 11

15) Unlocking of the suspension rope reel 9 and the trac ^¬ tion member lb reel 10 16) Detaching the support beam 2a from the guide rails 2 and supporting it on the roof of the car 1

17) Installation of the next upper guide rails 2 and, for instance, landing doors when working on the roof of the elevator car 1; during this phase the elevator car 1 is lifted gradually upwards with the auxiliary hoist 11 and at the same time the needed extension of the suspension rope la is drawn from the suspension rope supply reel 9 and also the needed extension of the traction member lb is drawn from the traction member supply reel 10 either non-simultaneously or preferably simultaneously with suspension rope, and so that the lengths of the extensions of the traction member lb and suspension rope are for a car run of an equal length

18) Securing the support beam 2a to the guide rails 2 at an appropriate new height

19) Installation of other components, such as electrification, etc.

20) Descending the elevator car 1 into an appropriate floor level

21) Locking of the suspension rope reel 9 and the trac ^¬ tion member lb reel 10

22) Disengaging the auxiliary hoist 11 from the elevator car 1

23) Tensioning of the traction member lb

24) Commissioning of the elevator

The order of some steps may occasionally change. After the step 24) above the elevator is ready for service according to Fig. 5, still having supply reels 9 and 10 until the whole elevator shaft is at its maximum height. Then the fi ^¬ nal conversion is done and after that the elevator is ready for normal service. The first method according to the invention comprises among other things for instance the following steps in the situa ^¬ tion of the final conversion:

25) Making the last jump as a normal jump according to the phases mentioned above

26) Replacing the temporary lock or clamps used for locking the suspension ropes la and traction member lb with permanent clamps, for instance to rope bottles

27) Repositioning the over speed governor 8 to the support beam 2a or to the guide rail 2

28) Removing the supply reels 9 and 10 and adjusting the balancing weight 3 for final use

29) Securing and tensioning of the traction member lb 30) Commissioning the elevator.

In this embodiment the steps as follows are made and/or can be made on the roof of the elevator car 1: 5) - 10), 14) - 22) and 26) -28) .

Figure 2 and Figs. 6-8 show an embodiment according to the invention where the separate installation stage 12 is used to make the installation safer and easier. Basically most of the steps in this method can be the same or almost the same as the steps mentioned above. The biggest difference is the assembling of the installation stage 12, its use during the installation and its dismantling after the installation of the elevator.

The second method according to the invention comprises among other things for instance the following steps in the initial phase : ) Initial rise installation

) Installation of the final hoisting machinery 4 with the final drive wheel 5 into their final location in the lower part of the elevator shaft, and installa ^¬ tion of the first guide rails 2

) Installation of the balancing weight 3 to its own guide rails

) Installation of the installation stage 12

) Installation of the next upper guide rails 2 and, for instance, landing doors when working on the installation stage 12

) Installation of the elevator car 1

) Assembling the support beam 2a with its diverting pulleys 7 and over speed governor 8, and placing the support beam 2a on the roof of the elevator car 1) Suspending the elevator car 1 from the installation stage 12 by the auxiliary hoist 11, and lifting the elevator car 1 with the support beam 2a upwards in the elevator shaft by the help of the auxiliary hoist 11; at the same time also the traction member lb is drawn with the elevator car 1 through the hoisting machinery 4

) Securing the support beam 2a to the guide rails 2 at an appropriate height

) Roping the over speed governor 8 and adjusting it to work properly

) Installation of the suspension ropes la and the traction member lb

) Disengaging the auxiliary hoist 11 from the elevator car 1

) Tensioning of the traction member lb

) Making the electrification

) Commissioning of the elevator. After that the elevator car 1 can run in the shaft and the elevator is able to serve the lowermost floors of the build ^¬ ing though the building is still under construction. At the same time when the elevator is in a normal service next up- per guide rails 2 and landing doors can be installed working on the installation stage 12.

Figures 6-8 show different situations during the installa ^¬ tion phase according to the invention when the separate in- stallation stage 12 is used and certain installation phases are made on the roof of the elevator car 1 and certain installation phases are made on the installation stage 12. In Fig. 6 the initial installation has been done and a jump to a higher level is in its initial phase, and in Fig. 7 the jump is in its final phase. Whereas in Fig. 8 the jump has been completed and the elevator is ready for service, still having supply reels 9 and 10 until the whole elevator shaft is at its maximum height.

The second method according to the invention comprises other things for instance the following steps in the situation :

116) Running the elevator car 1 with its own hoisting machinery 4 to its uppermost position

117) Locking the balancing weight 3 to the support beam 2a, for instance in a rope clamp 3a

118) Unlocking of the suspension rope reel 9 and the traction member reel 10 that both are now in the elevator car 1, the suspension rope reel 9 on top of the car 1 and the traction member reel 10 below the bottom of the car 1

119) Detaching the support beam 2a from the guide rails 2 and lifting the support beam 2a with the balancing weight 3 the upwards with the auxiliary hoist 11, and at the same time the needed extension of the suspension rope la is drawn from the suspension rope supply reel 9 and also non-simultaneously or prefer ^¬ ably simultaneously the needed extension of the traction member lb is drawn from the traction member supply reel 10

120) Locking of the suspension rope reel 9 and the trac ^¬ tion member lb reel 10

121) Securing the support beam 2a to the guide rails 2 at an appropriate new height

122) Disengaging the balancing weight 3 from the support beam 2a

123) Disengaging the auxiliary hoist 11 from the support beam 2a

124) Making the necessary electrification, etc.

125) Tensioning of the traction member lb

126) Commissioning of the elevator The order of some steps may occasionally change. After the step 126) above the elevator is ready for service. During the normal service next upper guide rails and landing doors, etc. can be installed using the installation stage 12 until the final height is reached.

The second method according to the invention comprises among other things for instance the following steps in the situa ^¬ tion of the final conversion: 127) Repositioning the over speed governor 8 to the ceiling of the elevator shaft or to another suitable place

128) Suspending the elevator car 1 from the ceiling of the elevator shaft by the auxiliary hoist 11 129) Dismantling the installation stage 12

130) Running the elevator car 1 to its uppermost position

131) Unlocking of the suspension rope reel 9 and the traction member reel 10

132) Detaching the support beam 2a from the guide rails 2 and supporting it on the roof of the car 1

133) Lifting the elevator car 1 and the support beam 2a upwards with the auxiliary hoist 11 from the ceiling of the elevator shaft, and at the same time the needed extension of the suspension rope la is drawn from the suspension rope supply reel 9 and also non- simultaneously or preferably simultaneously the needed extension of the traction member lb is drawn from the traction member supply reel 10

134) Securing the support beam 2a to the guide rails 2 at its final height

135) Making the necessary electrification, etc.

136) Replacing the temporary lock or clamps used for locking the suspension ropes la and traction member lb with permanent clamps, for instance to rope bot ^¬ tles

137) Removing the supply reels 9 and 10 and adjusting the balancing weight 3 for final use

138) Securing and tensioning of the traction member lb

139) Commissioning the elevator.

In this embodiment the steps as follows are made and/or can be made on the installation stage 12: 105), 108), 109), 114), 117), 119), 123), 124) and 127). Whereas the steps as follows are made and/or can be made on the roof of the ele ^¬ vator car 1: 105), 107), 109) - 111), 114), 117) - 124) and 128) - 136) . Figures 9 and 10 show different situations during the in ^¬ stallation phase according to another installation method of the invention when the separate installation stage 12 is used and certain installation phases are made on the roof of the elevator car 1 and certain installation phases are made on the installation stage 12. In Fig. 9 the initial instal ^¬ lation and further installation have been done and a jump to a higher level is in its initial phase, and in Fig. 10 the jump is in its final phase. This method differs from the methods described earlier in that now both the supply reels 9 and 10 are in the elevator car 1, and the elevator car 1 is kept at the lower part of the elevator shaft during the jump. When the jump has been completed the elevator is ready for service, still having supply reels 9 and 10 until the whole elevator shaft is at its maximum height.

The fourth method according to the invention comprises among other things for instance the following steps in the jump situation :

240) Running the elevator car 1 with its own hoisting machinery 4 to its lowermost position

241) Suspending the elevator car 1 from installation stage 12 by the auxiliary hoist 11

242) Unlocking of the suspension rope reel 9 and the traction member reel 10

243) Detaching the support beam 2a from the guide rails 2 and supporting it on the roof of the car 1

244) Lifting the elevator car 1 and the support beam 2a upwards with the auxiliary hoist 11 from the in ^¬ stallation stage 12, and at the same time the need ^¬ ed extension of the suspension rope la is drawn from the suspension rope supply reel 9 and also non-simultaneously or preferably simultaneously the needed extension of the traction member lb is drawn from the traction member supply reel 10

245) Locking of the suspension rope reel 9 and the trac ^¬ tion member lb reel 10

246) Securing the support beam 2a to the guide rails 2 at an appropriate new height

247) Disengaging the auxiliary hoist 11 from the elevator car 1

248) Making the necessary electrification, etc.

249) Tensioning of the traction member lb

250) Commissioning of the elevator

The order of some steps may occasionally change. After the step 250) above the elevator is ready for service, still having supply reels 9 and 10 until the whole elevator shaft is at its maximum height. During the normal service next up ^¬ per guide rails and landing doors, etc. can be installed us ^¬ ing the installation stage 12 until the final height is reached. The jump can be done in the same way also in the elevator arrangement where the installation stage 12 is not used. In that case the auxiliary hoist 11 suspending the support beam 2a is suspended from the fixed point in the building . The steps of all the methods described here are very much the same in all installation phases. Only minor differences occur where some steps can vary, some step can be missing and some steps can be done in a different order. It is, how ^¬ ever common to all the methods and the arrangements accord- ing to the invention that in the elevator installed the sus ^¬ pension and moving have been separated from each other and the only and final hoisting machinery 4 is in the lower part of the elevator shaft below the elevator car 1, for instance at the bottom of the elevator shaft. Then the hoisting ma- chinery 4 is not lifted upwards in the jump phase, only the support beam 2a with the diverting pulleys 7 is lifted up ^¬ wards during the jump with either the elevator car 1 or the balancing weight 3. And at the same time either the elevator car 1 or the balancing weight 3 is arranged to draw the ex ^¬ tensions for the suspension ropes la and for the traction member lb either non-simultaneously or preferably simultane ^¬ ously from their own supply reels 9 and 10, and so that the lengths of the extensions of the traction member lb and sus- pension ropes la are for a car run of an equal length.

The supply reels 9 and 10 can be placed mutually in a dif ^¬ ferent moving object, for instance so that the reel or reels

9 for suspension ropes la are placed in the elevator car 1 and the reel or reels 10 for the traction member lb are placed in the balancing weight 3, or vice versa. In that case the balancing during the jump may not change or the change is small and easy to compensate. The supply reels 9 and 10 can also be placed mutually in the same moving object, for instance so that the reel or reels 9 for suspension ropes la are placed in the top part of the elevator car 1 and the reel or reels 10 for the traction member lb are placed in lower part of the elevator car 1, or the reel or reels 9 for suspension ropes la are placed in the top part of the balancing weight 3 and the reel or reels

10 for the traction member lb are placed in lower part of the balancing weight 3. In that case the balancing during the jump may change considerably and then the compensating of the change is important.

Thus, the jump phase in all the methods according to the in ^¬ vention may comprise a further step where the balancing is checked after the jump and, if needed, adjusted to be cor- rect for instance by adding more weight either to the eleva ^¬ tor car 1 or to the balancing weight 3.

After the whole elevator shaft is at its maximum height the final conversion is done according to one of the methods de ^¬ scribed above, and after the final conversion the elevator is ready for normal service according to the situation that is shown in Fig. 11. Thanks to the inventive solution according to the invention the jump to the next higher level is easy and fast to make, and thus also shorter jumps can be economically done and consequently the elevator can serve the building also during the construction time more flexibly than in prior art solu- tions.

Instead of using the auxiliary hoist 11 mentioned above for suspending and lifting the elevator car 1, support beam 2a or balancing weight 3, or other components of the elevator the own hoisting machinery 4 of the elevator can be used mainly or at least partially for the installation described above .

It is obvious to the person skilled in the art that the in- vention is not restricted to the examples described above but that it may be varied within the scope of the claims presented below.