The object of the invention is methods relating to installation work in an elevator. Likewise, the object of the invention is tools for use in the installation of different parts of an elevator.

Although the solution according to the invention relates to a method for determining the position of the compensating weight guide rails of an elevator, in addition to the definition of the position of other elevator components and actuators to be installed in the hoistway, and in the description hereinafter the object of the inventive concept is referred to as inter alia the guide rails of compensating weights, the solution according to the invention can just as well be applied also to determining the position of the counterweight guide rails of an elevator, which determination can be considered as also belonging to the inventive content of the solution.

Known in the art are various solutions for determining the disposal location of elevator components and actuators to be installed in the hoistway, such as the guide rails of the elevator car, the guide rails of the compensating weights/counterweights, the sills of the doors of a landing, i.e. of hoistway doors, the top tracks of hoistway doors, et cetera, in which solutions inter alia plumb lines, laser measuring means, tape measures, et cetera, are used as an aid. The guide rails of the elevator car and of the compensating weights are fixed with their own guide rail brackets e.g. to the wall of the elevator hoistway in a precisely measured position with respect to the elevator hoistway and to the other structures of the elevator. In order for the guide rails to be reliably disposed in the correct position, each guide rail must be separately and precisely plumbed into position. This plumbing, and associated measurements, takes a lot of time and also it is possible that errors occur in the plumbing, which errors can cause damage in the structures of the elevator, noise problems or other problems, or at least extra work for afterwards rectifying the position of the guide rails. In addition, the other structures of the elevator must be situated extremely precisely with respect to the guide rails so e.g. the measurements to be made manually and with tape measures and the determinations of positions are slow and also give rise to many errors.

The aim of the present invention is to eliminate the aforementioned drawbacks and to achieve an inexpensive and easy-to-implement method in the installation of an elevator for determining the precise disposal location of the guide rails and other hoistway components quickly, safely and reliably. Another aim is to achieve a tool for implementing the aforementioned installation method. The preferred method according to the invention is characterized by what is disclosed in the characterization part of claim 1. The preferred tool according to the invention is characterized by what is disclosed in the characterization part of claim 6. Other embodiments of the invention are characterized by what is disclosed in the other claims.

Some inventive embodiments are also discussed in the descriptive section 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. Likewise the different details presented in connection with each embodiment of the invention 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 suitable situations be deemed to be inventive in their own right. One advantage, among others, of the solution according to the invention is that by means of it a fast, easy and reliable definition of the precise disposal location of hoistway components and/or of a landing door is enabled. Another advantage is that with the same tool most, or even all, the disposal locations of hoistway components and/or of a landing door can be determined. Another advantage is also that by copying the desired dimensions mechanically, the exact disposal locations are obtained repeatedly on the different floors very precisely and without measuring errors. Owing to the speed and ease of installation enabled by the solution according to the invention, another advantage is the cost saving achieved by the installation. In the invention the interposit ioning of some components in relation to each other is preferably maintained as the same by using as an aid a mechanical template arrangement or corresponding. In essence, the car guide rails coming into the elevator hoistway are plumbed into their position, and the positioned car guide rails are used after that as a lateral position reference for other components to be installed according to the invention when installing them, in which case when installing the other components their lateral position is copied using the tool, e.g. a template. There can be a temporary fixing on the tool for components, in which case the actual fixing of a component into position, e.g. onto the wall of the hoistway, can occur when the component is supported on the tool. Preferably in the invention an elevator car placed on its guide rails is used as a working platform. The disposal location of the elevator hoistway components on the elevator car traveling along guide rails is determined in relation to the guide rails of the elevator car by copying the disposal location at different heights in the elevator hoistway mechanically by means of a tool. The designed disposal locations of the hoistway components are kept constant in relation to the guide rails of the elevator car during the whole period of determination of the disposal locations of the hoistway components, preferably also when fixing them into their positions. In other words, with the tool the lateral distances of certain selected components to be installed on the elevator are kept fixed.

When applying the invention in the installation of the landing doors of the elevator, the desired position of the either the door itself or a part of it, preferably the door frame, is determined or otherwise the position of the fixing means supporting the door is determined. This type of fixing means can be e.g. a bearer part to be fixed with a bolt fastening or otherwise to the wall or door opening of the elevator hoistway.

In the following, the invention will be described in more detail by the aid of some examples of its embodiment with reference to the simplified and diagrammatic drawings attached, wherein

Fig. 1 presents a simplified and diagrammatic top view one tool used in the method according to the invention in its first attitude in the elevator hoistway in connection with the determination of the disposal location of the hoistway components

Fig. 2 presents a simplified and diagrammatic top view of one tool used in the method according to the invention in its second attitude in the elevator hoistway in connection with the determination of the disposal location of the hoistway components,

Fig. 3 presents a simplified and diagrammatic top view of one tool used in the method according to the invention in its third attitude in the elevator hoistway in connection with the determination of the disposal location of the hoistway components,

Fig. 4 presents a top view of one tool to be used in the method according to the invention, Fig. 5 presents a top view of a second tool to be used in the method according to the invention, Fig. 5 a presents a top view of a third tool to be used in the method according to the invention, Fig. 5 b presents a magnified side view of the first end, with its parts, of the dimension transfer means of the tool according to Fig. 5a,

Fig. 6 presents a magnified top view of a part of one end of one tool to be used in the method according to the invention, said end being connected to the guide rail of an elevator car,

Fig. 7 presents a top and further magnified view of the detent means and fixing part on one end of one tool to be used in the method according to the invention, and

Fig. 8 presents a simplified and diagrammatic side view of the use in the elevator hoistway of a tool according to the invention. Fig. 1 presents a tool 1 according to the invention fitted between the guide rails 5 of the elevator car 2 in the elevator hoistway 3 in such a way that the detent means 9 on the ends of the elongated and rod-shaped, and essentially rigid, frame part la rest on at least two guide surfaces of the guide part of the guide rails 5, namely on the front surface 5b of the guide rail 5 and on one side surface 5a of the guide rail 5. The front surface 5b and the side surfaces 5a of the guide rails 5 are seen more clearly in Fig. 6. The dimensions of the frame part la of the tool 1 and the dimensions of detent means 9 are configured to be such that the distance from each other of the detent surfaces 9b of the detent means 9, said detent surfaces resting on the front surface 5b of the guide rail 5, is essentially the same as the distance between the front surfaces 5b of the guide rails 5, i.e. the gauge, when the guide rails 5 are in their correct disposal locations according to plan. When the tool 1 is fitted thus between the guide rails 5 of the elevator car 2 and the lowermost guide rails 5 of the elevator hoistway 3 are precisely installed into their correct disposal locations, the positions in the elevator hoistway 3 of the other hoistway components can be mechanically determined using the disposal location of the guide rails 5 of the elevator car 2 as a reference. For this function, a dimension transfer means lb, which is e.g. an essentially rigid rod-shaped means with a length direction at essentially a right angle with respect to the longitudinal direction of the frame part la, is fixed to the frame part la of the tool 1.

The dimension transfer means lb is fixed to the frame part la via a fixing means Id, which fixing means Id enables moving of the dimension transfer means lb in relation to the frame part la in its longitudinal direction. In this way distance of the first end le, i.e. the measuring probe, of the dimension transfer means lb from the frame part la and from the center line between the guide rails 5 of the elevator car 2 can be changed. For stiffening the tool 1, the dimension transfer means lb is preferably supported on the frame part la with a diagonal strut lc. In the elevator hoistway 3 according to Fig. 1 there are guide rails 6 of the compensating weights or counterweights in addition to the guide rails 5 of the elevator car 2. In Fig. 1 the compensating weights are disposed on opposite sides of the elevator car 2 and on different sides of the guide rail line between the guide rails 5 of the elevator car 2 to each other, in which case the suspension of the elevator car 2 and of the compensating weights is very symmetrical and does not produce any additional stresses e.g. on the guide rails 5 of the elevator car. The guide rails 6 and 7 of the compensating weights are fixed into their positions by means of the guide rail brackets 6a and 7a, which guide rail brackets 6a, 7a are shaped in such a way that the two guide rails 6 opposite each other are fixed to the same guide rail brackets 6a and correspondingly the two guide rails 7 opposite each other are fixed to the same guide rail brackets 7a.

In the solution according to Fig. 1, fixed to the dimension transfer means lb of the tool 1 according to the invention are two additional dimension transfer means 8a, which are fixed to those points on the dimension transfer means lb that correspond to the distance of the guide rails 6 of the first compensating weight from the guide rail line between the guide rails 5 of the elevator car 2 in such a way that the detent surfaces of the detent means 10 on the free ends of the additional dimension transfer means 8a are disposed at a point according to plan of the guide surfaces of the guide rails 6 of the first compensating weight, i.e. at the point of at least one side surface and the front surface, said detent means 10 essentially corresponding to the detent means 9.

In the solution according to Fig. 1 the length of the dimension transfer means lb of the tool 1 according to the invention is additionally adjusted to be such that the distance of the measuring probe le of the dimension transfer means lb from the guide rail line between the guide rails 5 of the elevator car 2 corresponds to the distance according to plan of the edge of the sill 4 of the door of a landing, said edge being on the side of the elevator hoistway 3, or the distance according to plan of the fixing point of the sill 4, from the guide rail line between the guide rails 5 of the elevator car 2. In this way the position of the first end of the sill 4 of the door of the landing can be quickly and easily measured with the tool 1 according to the invention.

In the situation according to Fig. 1, therefore, the position of the guide rails 6 of the compensating weight and the position of the sill 4 of the door of a landing are measured with respect to the guide rail line between the guide rails 5 of the elevator car 2 when the tool 1 is in its position, in its first attitude, between the guide rails 5. Correspondingly, in the situation according to Fig. 2, the adjustments of the tool 1, i.e. the set disposal locations of the hoistway components, have not been changed, but the tool 1 has been turned 180° on the plane of the guide rail line and the detent means 9 are supported on the guide rails 5 from the same side of the guide rails 5 as in the first attitude of the tool 1. In this case the distance of the measuring probe le of the dimension transfer means lb from the guide rail line between the guide rails 5 of the elevator car 2 again corresponds to the distance according to plan of the edge of the sill 4 of the door of a landing, said edge being on the side of the elevator hoistway 3, or the distance according to plan of the fixing point of the sill 4 from the guide rail line between the guide rails 5 of the elevator car 2, and the position of the second end of the sill 4 is easy to determine.

The situation according to Fig. 3 corresponds to the situation of Fig. 2, but the tool 1 has additionally been rotated 180° from its second attitude, on a plane perpendicular to the guide rail line, and displaced in such a way that the detent means 9 on the ends of the frame part la, the measuring probe le of the dimension transfer means lb and the additional dimension transfer means 8a are now in their third attitude, which with respect to the first attitude of the tool 1 is on the opposite side of the guide rail line and the detent surfaces of the detent means 10 of the additional dimension transfer means 8a are disposed at the point according to plan of the guide surfaces of the guide rails 7 of the second compensating weight, i.e. at the point of at least one side surface and the front surface.

Thus, the positions of the two guide rails 6 and 7 of a compensating weight, as well as the positions of the sill 4 of the door of a landing, with respect to the guide rails 5 of the elevator car 2 are determined in the three different attitudes of the tool 1 without changing the adjustments of the tool 1, i.e. the disposal location settings. The disposal 50141

locations of the other hoistway components can be determined on the same principle.

Fig. 4 presents in more detail one tool 1 to be used in the method according to the invention. In this structural solution one dimension transfer means lb is fixed to the frame part la of the tool 1, which dimension transfer means has a further two additional dimension transfer means 8a. The number of dimension transfer means lb and of additional dimension transfer means 8a is not limited. There can be, depending on the need and on the application, either 1, 2 or also a number of units. In addition, their fixing to their mounting base can vary. The fixing means Id of the dimension transfer means lb can be implemented in such a way that the fixing means Id is fixed into its position on the frame part la and only the distance of the measuring probe le of the dimension transfer means lb from the frame part la can be changed by sliding the frame of the dimension transfer means lb in its longitudinal direction in the fixing means le and by locking the frame of the dimension transfer means lb into its position when the distance of the measuring probe le is that desired. The fixing means Id can also be implemented in such a way that the fixing means Id is fixed to the frame part la in a manner allowing movement in the longitudinal direction of the frame part la and correspondingly the dimension transfer means lb is rigidly fixed to the fixing means Id.

Yet a third solution is that the fixing means Id can be movable in the longitudinal direction of the frame part la and the dimension transfer means lb is fixed, in a manner allowing movement in its longitudinal direction, to the fixing means Id. In this case the position of the measuring probe le of the dimension transfer means lb can be adjusted in both the longitudinal direction of the frame part la of the tool 1 and in an orthogonal direction to the frame part la.

Likewise additional dimension transfer means 8a can be fixed to the frame of the dimension transfer means lb in many 2014/050141

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different ways. Each additional dimension transfer means 8a is e.g. fixed to the frame of the dimension transfer means lb via a fixing means 8c, which fixing means 8c enables the moving of the additional dimension transfer means 8a in its longitudinal direction in relation to the frame of the dimension transfer means lb. Thus the distance of the detent means 10 on the first end of the additional dimension transfer means 8a in relation to the frame of the dimension transfer means lb can be adjusted. It is also possible to implement the fixing of the additional dimension transfer means 8a to the frame of the dimension transfer means lb in such a way that the fixing means 8c enables displacement of the additional dimension transfer means 8a also in the longitudinal direction of the frame of the dimension transfer means lb.

Yet another possibility is one in which displacement of the additional dimension transfer means 8a is possible only in the longitudinal direction of the frame of the dimension transfer means lb. In this case the distance of the detent means 10 with respect to the frame of the dimension transfer means lb cannot be changed, but the correct position of the detent means 10 is now found by displacing the whole dimension transfer means lb in the longitudinal direction of the frame part la of the tool 1 into a position which determines the correct disposal location of the detent means 10.

Fig. 5 presents a top view of a second tool 1 to be used in the method according to the invention. The tool 1 is similar to the tool according to Fig. 4, but now instead of one dimension transfer means lb it has two essentially similar dimension transfer means lb that are disposed on the frame part la symmetrically close to each end of the frame part la. This solution speeds up, inter alia, determination of the position of the sill 4 of the door of a landing because now the position of both ends of the sill 4 can now be determined with the same attitude of the tool 1. Although it is not presented in Fig. 5, in this solution also additional dimension transfer means for determining the position of the guide rails of a compensating weight can be fixed to the dimension transfer means lb, and likewise short diagonal struts corresponding to the diagonal strut lc are possible, because the dimension transfer means lb does not need to be displaced long distances along the frame part la.

Figs. 5a and 5b present a third tool 1 to be used in the method according to the invention. In Fig. 5a the tool 1 is presented as viewed from above and Fig. 5b presents the first end, plus its parts, of the dimension transfer means lb of the tool 1 as a magnified view from the side. The tool 1 presented in Figs. 5a and 5b is suited particularly well to mechanically determining the position of the sill of the landing doors of the elevator and the position of the landing doors. The tool 1 according to Fig. 5a is otherwise similar to the tool 1 presented in Fig. 5, but on both dimension transfer means lb now, near the first end le of them, is an additional dimension transfer means If, which has on the vertical plane a measuring surface lg, by means of which the position of the sill 4 of the door of a landing can be determined. The measuring surface lg is therefore at an equal distance from the guide rail line between the guide rails 5 of the elevator car 2 as the position according to plan of the sill 4 of the door of the landing .

In addition, the length of the dimension transfer means lb of the tool 1 is adjusted to be such that the distance of the measuring probe le of the dimension transfer means lb from the guide rail line between the guide rails 5 of the elevator car 2 corresponds to the distance according to plan of the edge of a landing . door, or part thereof, or preferably of the edge of a door frame, said edge being on the elevator hoistway 3 side, from the guide rail line between the guide rails 5 of the elevator car 2, and the distance between the side edges of the door of the landing corresponds to the distance of the dimension transfer means lb from each other. In this way it is easy and quick to determine the positions of the doors of a landing mechanically with the tool 1 according to the invention . Fig. 6 presents a magnified top view of a part of one end of one tool 1 to be used in the method according to the invention when fixed to the guide rail 5 of the elevator car 2 in such a way that the first detent surface 9a of the detent means 9 rests on one side surface 5a of the guide part of a guide rail 5 of the elevator car and the second detent surface 9b rests on the front surface 5b of the guide part of the guide rail 5.

The structure of the tool 1 according to Fig. 6 differs from the structures presented earlier inter alia in that the detent means 9 has a fixing part 9c, which comprises a tightening means 9d, such as a tightening screw, by means of which the detent means 9, and at the same time the whole tool 1, is pressed against a guide rail 5 of the elevator during the determination of the position of the hoistway components. In addition, the frame part la of the tool 1 according to Fig. 6 is telescopic in such a way that inside the frame part la is a telescopic extension part 12, which enables adjustment of the length of the frame part la. The frame part la is locked to the desired length by the aid of a locking means 13, such as a locking screw.

The fixing means Id of the dimension transfer means lb enables movement in its longitudinal direction of the dimension transfer means lb in relation to the frame part la. The dimension transfer means is locked into its correct position by the aid of a locking means 11, such as a locking screw. The fixing of the dimension transfer means lb to the frame part la is not shown in more detail in Fig. 6. The fixing of the dimension transfer means lb to the frame part la can be rigid or the fixing of the dimension transfer means lb to the frame part la can be made to be such that the dimension transfer means lb can be moved in the longitudinal direction of the frame part la. Fig. 7 presents a top view, further magnified for illustration purposes, of the detent means 9 and fixing part 9c, with its tightening means 9d, on one end of the tool 1 according to Fig. 6. Since the tool 1 is not now fixed to a guide rail 5, the first detent surface 9a and second detent surface 9b of the detent means are clearly visible in the figure.

Fig. 8 presents a simplified and diagrammatic side view of the use in the elevator hoistway 3 of a tool 1 according to the invention. The deviation from straightness of the surface of the front wall of the elevator hoistway, i.e. the door wall on the hoistway side, is deliberately exaggerated. In addition, the tool 1 according to the invention is presented with an unbroken line on the topmost floor level 14 visible in Fig. 8 and with a dot-and-dash line on the floor levels 14 below it. The elevator hoistway 3 and its structures are simplified and each floor is truncated at the point of the door opening 15 of the landing. Of the components of the elevator hoistway, only one guide rail 5 of the elevator car and the sills 4 of the doors of a landing are presented in the elevator hoistway.

With the method according to the invention determination of the position of components of the elevator hoistway 3 occurs with the tool 1 according to the invention e.g. as follows: Initially, using methods known in the art, the positions of the guide rails 5 of the elevator car 2 are determined and the lowermost guide rails 5 are fixed into their position in the elevator hoistway 3. If necessary, the positions also of other hoistway components are determined in the bottom part of the base of the elevator hoistway 3. The tool 1 according to the invention can already be used for this determination, which tool is adjusted to the dimensions according to plan in such a way that e.g. the position of the sill 4 of the door of a landing and the positions of the guide rails 6, 7 of the compensating weights can be determined in relation to the guide rails 5 of the elevator car 2. When moving higher up, the elevator car 2 is installed into its position and it is lifted by means of an auxiliary machine along the guide rails 5 higher as the installation progresses. The tool 1 according to the invention is used after installation of the elevator car 2 on the roof of the elevator car 2 by situating the elevator car 2 in a position in the height direction from which e.g. the position of the sill 4 of the door of the next landing 14 can easily be determined, by situating the tool 1 between the guide rails 5, and by pointing the measuring probe le of the dimension transfer means lb towards the door opening 15 of the landing 14 at the point of the floor of the landing 14. If necessary, the distance of the measuring probe le is configured to be such that a small, predefined gap 16 remains between the sill 4 and the measuring probe le.

It is advantageous to fix the tool 1 to the guide rails 5 at the desired height temporarily, in which case determination of the position of the hoistway components, such as of the sill 4 and top tracks of the door of a landing as well as of the guide rails 6, 7 of the compensating weights, is easy by copying the set position according to plan of a hoistway component mechanically at each desired height position. As the installation progresses, the elevator car 2 is lifted always higher to the next measuring location and the tool 1 with its preset adjustments is fixed, for the duration of the position determination, between the guide rails 5 and the determination of the disposal location of the desired hoistway components is performed mechanically. If necessary, the tool 1 is turned 180° on the plane of the guide rail line without changing the adjustments and is also rotated 180° on a plane orthogonal to the guide rail line and is also displaced in such a way that the detent means 9 on the ends of the frame part la, the measuring probe le of the dimension transfer means lb and the additional dimension transfer means 8a are displaced to the opposite side of the guide rail line with respect to the first attitude.

It should also be noted that the different solutions and features presented above can be inventive features together with one or more other features of the invention.

It is obvious to the person skilled in the art that the invention is not limited solely to the examples described above, but that it may be varied within the scope of the claims presented below. Thus, for example, the tool according to the invention can be structurally different to what is presented above and likewise the phases of the method according to the invention can be different and in a different sequence to what is presented above.