ELEVATOR SYSTEM

The present invention relates to an arrangement for sound insulation in an elevator car as defined in the preamble of claim 1.

As the elevator car moves in the elevator shaft disturbing noise caused by the movement enters the car through the gaps between the car and the doors. In prior-art solutions this noise has been damped with, among other things, sound insulation strips or sound insulation mats made of e.g. rubber or some other elastic material placed in the doors or in the elevator car in front of the gaps. One drawback, however, is that the installation of sound insulation strips is awkward and time-consuming, and correspondingly unsuccessful installation of sound insulation mats causes a hissing as the elevator car moves.

The object of the present invention is to eliminate the aforementioned drawbacks and to achieve an operationally reliable and low-cost arrangement for sound insulation in a moving elevator car. The arrangement of the invention for sound insulation in a moving elevator car is characterized by what is disclosed in the characterization part of claim 1. Other embodiments of the invention are characterized by what is disclosed in the other claims.

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 can be applied within the framework

of the basic inventive concept in conjunction with other embodiments .

One advantage of the arrangement according to the invention is that the hissing and other noises carried into the interior of the moving elevator car are damped with a low- cost solution, in which the sound insulation is easy to implement without the time-consuming and awkward installation of sound insulation strips or sound insulation mats . Another advantage is that there are no wearing parts or parts prone to malfunction in the sound insulation, so that the sound insulation is long lasting and maintenance-free.

One embodiment of the arrangement for sound insulation in an elevator car is equipped with a door comprising at least one door panel, in which case the arrangement includes a structure forming a labyrinthine space fitted to at least the top edge and/or the side edge of the door panel.

In one embodiment of the arrangement at least the top edge, front edge and/or rear edge of the door panel is equipped with a structure forming a labyrinthine space fitted between the door panel and the front wall of the elevator car.

In one embodiment of the arrangement an upper labyrinth strip of essentially the same width as the door panel is on the top edge of the door panel, the free edge of which protrudes from the door panel towards the elevator car and is bent downwards at essentially a right angle and a lower labyrinth strip is above the door opening in the elevator car, the free edge of which protrudes towards the door panel and is bent upwards at essentially a right angle and the free edges are fitted to overlap each other in the vertical direction and to form an essentially labyrinthine space between the door panel and the elevator car.

In one embodiment of the arrangement a labyrinth strip is fitted on the car side to the outer surface of the front wall

of the elevator car, the free edge of which protrudes towards the door panel and is bent towards the rear edge of the door panel at essentially a right angle and a labyrinth strip of essentially the same height as the door panel is fitted to the rear edge of the door panel, the free edge of which protrudes from the door panel towards the elevator car and is bent towards the front edge of the door panel at essentially a right angle and the bent edges are fitted to overlap each other partially in the horizontal direction when the door panel is in the closed position and to form an essentially labyrinthine space between the door panel and the elevator car.

In one embodiment of the arrangement the front edges of the opposing door panels in a two-panel door are fitted to correspond to each other in shape such that when the door is closed the gap between the opposing door panels is essentially labyrinthine in the cross-section of the door.

In the following, the invention will be described in detail by the aid of one example of its embodiments with reference to the attached drawings, wherein

Fig. 1 presents a simplified and magnified side view of one detail of the sound insulation on the top edge of the door of the elevator car,

Fig. 2 presents a simplified and magnified top view of one detail of the sound insulation on the side edge of the door of the car when the door is closed,

Fig. 3 presents a simplified and magnified top view of one detail of the sound insulation on the side edge of the door of the car when the door is open,

Fig. 4 presents a simplified top view of the arrangement

according to the invention in a centre-opening door of an elevator car,

Fig. 5 presents a simplified and magnified top view of one detail of the sound insulation on the top edge of the door panels of a centre-opening door of an elevator car,

Fig. 6 presents a simplified top view of the arrangement according to the invention in a two-panel telescopic door and

Fig. 7 presents a simplified top view of the arrangement according to the invention on a single-panel side-opening door of an elevator car.

The figures mentioned above are not necessarily drawn to scale. Fig. 1 presents a sound insulation arrangement according to the invention on the top edge of the door panel

1 of the elevator car 2. The arrangement comprises an upper labyrinth strip 3 of essentially the same length as the width of the door panel fixed at least to the top edge of the door panel, the free edge 3a of which strip protrudes from the door panel towards the front wall 6 of the elevator car 2 and is bent downwards at essentially a right angle. Correspondingly a lower labyrinth strip 4 is on the front wall 6 of the elevator car 2 above the door opening, which is at least essentially the same length as the width of the door panel. The free edge 4a of the lower labyrinth strip 4 protruding towards the door panel is bent upwards at essentially a right angle. The bent edges 3a and 4a of the labyrinth strips 3 and 4 are fitted to each other such that the edge 4a of the lower labyrinth strip on the mounted door panel 1 is positioned between the edge 3a of the upper labyrinth strip and the door panel and the bent edges 3a and 4a overlap each other partially in the vertical direction. Thus the labyrinth strips 3 and 4 with their edges 3a and 4a

form a labyrinthine space 5, which prevents sound from entering the elevator car through the crack between the top edge of the door panel 1 and the front wall 6 of the elevator car during movement of the elevator car 2.

Likewise figures 2 and 3 present a labyrinth arrangement corresponding to the top edge of the door, which is situated on the vertical side edge of the door panel 1 and is essentially the height of the whole door panel. In Fig. 2 the door is closed and in Fig. 3 the door is open. In this arrangement a labyrinth strip 8 is fitted on the car side to the outer surface of the front wall 6 of the elevator car 2 , the free edge 8a of which protrudes towards the door panel 1 and is bent towards the rear edge of the door panel at essentially a right angle. Correspondingly a labyrinth strip 7 of essentially the same height as the door panel 1 is fixed to the rear edge of the door panel 1, the free edge 7a of which protrudes from the door panel towards the elevator car 2 and is bent towards the front edge of the door panel at essentially a right angle.

The bent edges 7a and 8a of the labyrinth strips 7 and 8 are fitted to each other such that the edge 8a of the labyrinth strip 8 fitted to the mounted door panel 1 on the elevator car side is positioned between the edge 7a of the labyrinth strip 7 of the door panel and the door panel 1 so that the bent edges 7a and 8a overlap partially in the horizontal direction when the door panel is in the closed position. Thus the labyrinth strips 7 and 8 with their edges 7a and 8a form a labyrinthine space 9, which prevents sound from entering the elevator car through the crack between the door panel 1 and the front wall 6 of the elevator car during movement of the elevator car 2.

A corresponding labyrinth arrangement can be fitted onto the front edge of a single panel door such that it enables closing and opening of the door. In this case the bends of the labyrinth strips on the front edge of the door panel are

e.g. in essentially the same position and direction as on the rear edge of the door panel . Furthermore a corresponding labyrinthine structure is on a multipanel telescopic door on both the top and front edges of the door panels and on the rear edges. In this case the cracks between the door panels are insulated against sound with a structure that forms a labyrinthine space .

Fig. 4 presents a centre-opening two-panel door, in which case a similar labyrinth arrangement to that presented in figures 2 and 3 is on the rear edge of both door panels 1.

The open door panels are also partially drawn in the figure in dot-and-dash lines . The figure also shows the labyrinthine structure between the front edges of the door panels 1 of a two-panel door.

Fig. 5 presents a magnified top view of the labyrinthine structure between the front edges of the door panels 1 of a two-panel door. The cross-sections of both the front edges 10 of the door panels 1 are essentially symmetrical to each other and differ from a rectilinear edge. In the example according to Fig. 5 the front edge 10 of the door panel 1 is initially perpendicular to the inner surface Ia moving from the inner surface Ia of the door panel 1 towards the outer surface Ib. After this the front edge turns at an oblique angle and finally joins the outer surface Ib of the door panel again at a perpendicular angle. The front edges of the opposing door panels are fitted to correspond to each other in their shape such that when the door is closed the gap 11 between the door panels is labyrinthine in the cross-section of the door and thus forms a barrier to the free passage of sound. Obviously the shape of the gap 11 can differ from what is described above.

Fig. 6 presents a simplified top view of a sound insulation arrangement according to the invention in a two-panel telescopic door. A labyrinth arrangement of the kind shown in Fig. 2 is fitted between the rear edge of the slower door Id,

i.e. the door closer to the front wall 6 of the elevator car, and the front wall 6 of the elevator car. The same type of arrangement is fitted between the front edge of the slower door Id and the rear edge of the faster door Ic, i.e. the door closer to the landing. The front edge of the faster door Ic is fitted to travel closed when going inside the labyrinth strip 12 that is bent into shape and situated on the front edge of the side wall of the elevator car. The narrow gap between the front edge of the faster door Ic and the labyrinth strip 12 forms a labyrinth when the door of the elevator car is closed. A labyrinth arrangement of the kind presented in Fig. 1 is fitted to the front edge of the telescopic door. These labyrinth arrangements function as sound insulation in the telescopic door. The solution is also applicable to multipanel telescopic doors.

Fig. 7 presents a simplified top view of a sound insulation arrangement according to the invention in a single panel side-opening door of an elevator car. A labyrinth arrangement of the kind presented in Fig. 2 is fitted between the rear edge of the door 1 of the elevator car and the front wall 6 of the elevator car. The front edge of the door 1 of the elevator car is fitted to travel closed when going inside the labyrinth strip 12 that is bent into shape and situated on the front edge of the side wall of the elevator car. The narrow gap between the front edge of the door 1 of the elevator car and the labyrinth strip 12 forms a labyrinth when the door of the elevator car is closed. A labyrinth arrangement of the kind presented in Fig. 1 is fitted to the top edge of the door 1 of the elevator car. These labyrinth arrangements function as sound insulation in a single-panel side-opening door of an elevator car.

The bottom edge of the door can also be a corresponding labyrinthine structure connected with e.g. the threshold structure of the door.

It is obvious to the person skilled in the art that the

invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, in which the invention is described using examples, but that many adaptations and different embodiments of the invention are possible within the frameworks of the inventive concept defined by the claims presented below. Thus the labyrinthine structures on the top and side edges of the door can differ from what is described above. For example the directions and sizes of the bends of the labyrinth strips can vary in accordance with, among other things, different door structures. In this case the bends do not necessarily need to be e.g. right angles but oblique bends when properly fitted will form a sound insulating and damping labyrinthine space between the edge of the door panel and the front wall of the elevator car.