When an elevator is to be built in an existing apartment house, the size and location of the elevator have to be con- sidered with special attention. The elevator is often placed in a staircase, in which case the space available is limited.

Such a solution is only possible in the case of small eleva- tor structures. It is possible to place the elevator beside the stairs or partly in their place. In some cases, the stairs have to be removed to some other place. If the space available for the elevator shaft is small, then it is neces- sary to find shaft constructions requiring as little space as possible. If a new elevator shaft is built in an old building or if an old shaft is extended to reach a level clearly below the lowest floor, then this will also be a significant cost factor.

As is known, the elevator shaft is provided with separate guide rails for the car and the counterweight. The elevator and its counterweight travel in the elevator shaft along the guide rails guiding them, on which they are supported by means of sliding guide shoes. When all the guide rails sup- porting the elevator and counterweight are located as a con- tinuous structure on one side of the elevator car, the ar- rangement is called"rucksack suspension". In general, eleva- tor guide rails and the various adjustable brackets used to hold them are separate parts, requiring some space in the lateral direction of the shaft.

Specification US 6012554 presents a profiled guide rail ele- ment for use in an elevator shaft, combining the parts serv- ing as car and counterweight guide rails into the same struc- ture. The guide rails consist, of separate parts which are connected to each other by means of certain fastening ele- ments. The profiled element comprises a U-shaped part to

which are attached L-shaped parts which together form guide rails for both the counterweight and the car.

This prior-art solution for forming the guide rails consists of several parts and is disadvantageous in respect of space utilization. Neither is the prior-art solution applicable as a load-bearing structure in the elevator shaft.

The object of the invention is to disclose a shaft structure that can be accommodated in a space as small as possible and which can be constructed economically and quickly. As for the features characteristic of the invention, reference is made to the characterization parts of claims 1 and 16. As for other features characteristic of the invention, reference is made to the sub-claims.

The object of the invention can be achieved by integrating the guide rails for the counterweight and the car into the same structure, a so-called profiled shaft structure. The profiled shaft structure to be mounted in an elevator shaft can be fixed to the building at points around the shaft space, and the structure consists of one or more successive lengths of profiled shaft structure connected endwise to- gether. The profiled structure functions in the shaft as a structure supporting the elevator, and the profiled element is provided with a protrusion extending in the direction of the shaft and functioning as a counterweight guide rail, which profiled element can be provided with a car guide rail.

According to an embodiment, the profiled elements have been formed from an elongated metal plate by bending the plate in relation to its longitudinal axis. It is also possible to produce the profiled element of the invention by roll forming or by extruding e. g. from aluminum.

The profiled shaft element is preferably manufactured from a single piece of durable material, such as steel, machined to shape. Using the profiled element makes it possible to save shaft space and minimize the costs. The material, installa- tion and maintenance costs are reduced as a single piece is

used instead of many pieces. According to the invention, the profiled structure is open toward the direction where the counterweight is located.

When two profiled structures are mounted opposite to each other on either side of the shaft, they will together form a load-bearing structure of the elevator, being supported on the floor at the shaft bottom and attached by other parts to fixed building structures. The profiled structures bear all the forces applied to them from the elevator, and both the machine and the counterweight are placed in the space between the profiled structures.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the profiled shaft element comprises a back part and, projecting in the same direction from the back part, a front part and an end part, both being substantially perpendicular to the back part, with an edge part extending inward from the end part, adding to the rigidity of the structure. According to an em- bodiment of the invention, the edge of the front part of the profiled element is further bent so as to form a projection which functions as a car guide rail. Between the back part and the projection, a connecting piece can be provided to render the structure more rigid.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the profiled element comprises a mounting bracket preferably extending in- ward from the front part of the profiled element in a direc- tion parallel to the back part, allowing a car guide rail to be attached to the outer surface of the mounting bracket.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the profiled shaft element comprises a back part and, projecting in the same direction from the back part, a front part and an end part, both being substantially perpendicular to the back part, with an edge part extending inward from the end part, adding to the rigidity of the structure. According to a pre- ferred embodiment of the invention, the projection function- ing as a counterweight guide rail has been formed by working

a portion of the back part of the profiled element into a triangular shape in cross-section, allowing an advantageous distribution of the forces applied to the guide rail. Sliding guides attached to the counterweight can be easily mounted on the projection so that they can slide along the guide rail.

According to an embodiment, the projection forming the coun- terweight guide rail can be formed by working a portion of the back part of the profiled element into a substantially rectangular shape in cross-section.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the supporting structure for an elevator comprises two profiled shaft structures mounted at a distance from each other. The profiled structures bear all the forces applied to them from the elevator. When two profiled shaft structures are mounted opposite to each other on either side of the shaft, they form together a load-bearing structure supporting the elevator, resting on the floor at the shaft bottom and fastened by other parts to fixed structures of the building. According to a preferred embodiment, the profiled structures can be con- nected to each other. According to the invention, the eleva- tor machine and the counterweight can be placed substantially between the profiled structures. The distance between the counterweight guide rails provided in the profiled shaft ele- ments is larger than the distance between the car guide rails. As the profiled structure forms the counterweight guide rails, the width of the counterweight can be increased and therefore its height reduced, which means that less shaft space is needed in the vertical direction.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the structure comprises a mounting bracket preferably extending inward from the front part of the profiled element in a direction paral- lel to the back part. According to an embodiment of the in- vention, a guide rail for the elevator car can be mounted on the mounting bracket. In this way, preferably the same piece can be used both as a counterweight guide rail and as a mounting surface for the car guide rail.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the profiled shaft element can be provided with a tightening element placed between the mounting bracket and the back part to strengthen the structure. Tightening elements are placed in the profiled shaft structure at certain distances between them.

By using a load-bearing structure consisting of two profiled structures, it will be possible to use elevator cars of dif- ferent widths with it. The total width defined by the pro- filed elements is 1000 mm, on which it is possible to suspend e. g. cars having a width of 800,900 or 1000 mm. Cars of dif- ferent widths are mounted on the profiled elements by moving the cladding walls surrounding the profiled elements farther apart. Preferably the same profiled structure of the inven- tion can be used in the implementation of many elevator solu- tions. The cladding walls are attached to the profiled ele- ments using certain fastening elements, such as bolts. The profiled structure is fastened directly to the fixed struc- tures of the building. A structure having a height corre- sponding to the shaft height and consisting of profiled ele- ments according to the invention can be easily and quickly erected and it can be assembled as a prefabricated member at factory or installed from components on site. In addition, it allows easier assembly of the elevator. By using a profiled element as provided by the invention, a compact shaft struc- ture assembly is achieved while saving shaft space.

In the following, the invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

-Fig. 1 presents a profiled shaft element according to the invention in top view.

-Fig. 2 presents another embodiment of the invention.

-Fig. 3 illustrates the connection of the profiled shaft elements to each other in the shaft.

-Fig. 4 shows how the profiled shaft structure is disposed in the shaft.

Fig. 1 presents a top view of the profiled shaft element 1 of the invention, which is a cross-sectional view of the struc- ture in Fig. 3, taken along the dotted line A-A. The profiled element comprises a back part 9 extending in the longitudinal direction of the shaft, with an end part 2 projecting in a substantially perpendicular direction from the back part and an edge part 3 extending inward from the end part at a cer- tain angle to stiffen the structure. Further, the structure comprises a front part 4 projecting from the back part, with a mounting bracket 5 extending in a substantially perpendicu- lar direction from the front part to allow a car guide rail 8 to be attached to its outer surface. Further, wrought from the back part 9 is a protruding part 6 which functions as a counterweight guide rail, guiding the guide shoes 7 of the counterweight. The profiled shaft element 1 is mounted longi- tudinally in the elevator shaft, and individual profiled ele- ments can be connected to each other so as to form a profiled shaft structure extending through the entire height of the elevator shaft. The car guide rail 8 is fastened to the mounting bracket 5. Depicted in the figure is also a fasten- ing element 11, which are used to connect the separate pro- filed shaft element lengths to each other. Tightening ele- ments 12 are fixed to the profiled structure at given dis- tances to maintain the rigidity of the structure.

Fig. 2 presents another embodiment of the invention. Accord- ing to this embodiment, a profiled element consisting of a single piece has been bent so as to form both a counterweight

guide rail 6 and a car guide rail 15. The structure is braced by a connecting piece 14 fixed to the profiled element by means of fastening elements 13, such as e. g. bolts. The pro- filed element also comprises a back part 9 from which an end part 2 projects in a direction perpendicular to the back part, with an edge part 3 extending inward at a given angle from the end part. Further, projecting from the back part is a front part 4 with a projection 15 protruding from it, form- ing a car guide rail.

Fig. 3 illustrates the manner in which the profiled elements 1 are fastened to each other in the longitudinal direction of the elevator shaft by means of fastening elements 11 placed at the juncture between profiled elements. The figure shows a view at the upper end of the shaft. The figure also shows the tightening elements 12 used to stiffen the structure. Dis- posed at the upper end of the shaft are mounting elements 10 serving to hold the machine of the elevator between the pro- filed structures.

Fig. 4 shows how profiled shaft structures support an eleva- tor. The landing doors comprised in the elevator system are mounted in the surrounding structures in a conventional man- ner and are not shown in the figure. Neither does the figure show the cladding elements surrounding the elevator, nor the car, which is placed in a car frame 18 supporting it. The figure shows how the drive motor 16 is mounted on a trans- verse supporter 19 connected to the profiled elements 1. All rope pulleys guiding the ropes, the traction sheave 24 of the drive motor, the counterweight rope pulley 22 and the car rope pulley 23 are located on the same side in relation to the elevator car. The counterweight 17 is placed between the profiled elements 1.

It is obvious to the person skilled in the art that different embodiments of the invention are not limited to the examples described above, but that they may be varied within the scope of the claims presented below.