Abstract: An approach for producing and managing electricity includes producing electricity off premise while providing offsetting of power consumed on premise. As used herein, the term “off premise” refers to a location other than the location where electricity is being consumed and the term “on premise” refers to the location where the electricity is being consumed. The approach is applicable to any method or technology for generating electricity. Participants or customers have an ownership interest in the power generating facility. The offsetting of power may be accomplished using a wide variety of techniques, for example, energy production data may be reported to the premise where electricity is consumed and/or to an electric utility company to allow for customer billing credits, adjustments and/or direct or in-direct utility meter off-sets (net metering). Thus, each participant produces the power they consume with electricity production equipment in which they have an ownership interest.

Abstract: A destination entry input device (30, 35) is commissioned in a group elevator system (10). The destination entry input device (30, 35) is connected to a dispatch controller (20). A network address is input into the destination entry input device (30, 35) corresponding to an installation location of the destination entry input device (30, 35). When the network address is input, installation location information related to the installation location of the destination entry input device is downloaded to the destination entry input device (30, 35) and verified.

Abstract: An elevator door assembly (20) includes a positioner (30) for controlling an orientation of an elevator door panel (22) during movement between open and closed positions. The positioner (30) biases the door in a direction generally perpendicular to the desired direction of door movement. The disclosed example includes a first positioner member (32) that remains in a fixed position. A second positioner member (34) is supported for movement with the elevator door (22). In disclosed examples, at least one of the positioner members (32, 34) provides a magnetic field that results in the biasing force. In a disclosed example, opposing polarities on permanent magnets are arranged to provide a repulsive force between the positioner members (32, 34), which provides the biasing force on the elevator door.

Abstract: An exemplary elevator system includes a first controller configured to recognize a hall call signal that indicates a passenger's desire to board an elevator car at a particular landing. The first controller is associated with at least one elevator car for assigning a hall call request to that elevator car. A second controller is configured to recognize a destination request that indicates a passenger's desire to be carried to a particular level. The destination request originates outside of an elevator car. The second controller is associated with at least one elevator car for assigning a destination request to that elevator car. The second controller is configured to determine whether a selected condition will be satisfied if a received destination request is serviced by an elevator car associated with the second controller. The second controller handles the received destination request in that manner if the condition will be satisfied.

Abstract: An exemplary method is useful for handling passenger requests during an elevator system modernization that includes modernizing elevator cars over time. The modernized elevator cars are capable of servicing destination requests placed outside of an elevator car. Such destination requests include an indication of a desired destination. The exemplary method includes assigning an elevator car to respond to a new pending destination request according to a selected criterion for selecting between a modernized elevator car and an elevator car that has not yet been modernized. The method includes automatically updating the selected criterion responsive to a change in a number of modernized elevator cars.

Abstract: An exemplary method of controlling a plurality of elevator cars includes determining that there is a security violation condition involving at least one of the elevator cars at a landing. That elevator car is prevented from moving from the landing until the condition is resolved. The other elevator cars are controlled such that they do not provide elevator service to or from the landing until the condition is resolved.

Abstract: An elevator system (20) uses destination entry dispatching techniques. A passenger interface device (22) operates in a first mode to allow passengers (24) to enter destination requests for elevator service. The passenger interface (22) operates in a second mode to provide at least one additional feature to an authorized individual. The additional feature may be at least one of a service-related function, a security-related function, a monitoring-related function or a communication-related function.

Abstract: A destination entry input device (30, 35) is commissioned in a group elevator system (10). The destination entry input device (30, 35) is connected to a dispatch controller (20). A network address is input into the destination entry input device (30, 35) corresponding to an installation location of the destination entry input device (30, 35). When the network address is input, installation location information related to the installation location of the destination entry input device is downloaded to the destination entry input device (30, 35) and verified.

Abstract: Elevator service disruption information is communicated to passengers in a group elevator system (10). The group elevator system (10) includes a group of elevators (14a, 14b, 14c) operable to transport each of the passengers to one of a plurality of floors (L, F2, F3, F4, F5). A destination entry input device (30, 35) at each floor permits each passenger to enter destination input information. A dispatch controller (20) controls dispatching of the elevators (14a, 14b, 14c) based on the destination input information and determines when elevator service is disrupted. A communication device (30, 35), which is responsive to information from the dispatch controller (20) when elevator service is disrupted, provides to passengers at each floor notice of the service disruption and response instructions related to the elevator service disruption.

Abstract: A floor selection station (39a) has at least one switch button (45-51, 70, 93) which visually handicapped people use in selecting floors, and a speaker (54) to emit a sound uniquely ndicative of which elevator to board. Stations (39a, 39c) have a plurality of buttons with Braille indications of groups of floors (45-51) or individual floors (33). A station (39b) has only one button (70). Near or at each elevator lobby related to a group of floors serving a building, a floor identifier (39, 42) identifies with color, and optionally a symbol such as letter, each floor which is served by the group of elevators related to that lobby. At each elevator (26-29) there is an elevator indicator (32-35) which displays the same color, and optionally the same symbol, as displayed for any floor which the respective elevator is currently assigned to serve, and a speaker (32a 35a) which emits the same sound as at the floor selection station until the assigned elevator is dispatched.

Abstract: An elevator system (20) uses destination entry dispatching techniques. A passenger interface device (22) operates in a first mode to allow passengers (24) to enter destination requests for elevator service. The passenger interface (22) operates in a second mode to provide at least one additional feature to an authorized individual. The additional feature may be at least one of a service-related function, a security-related function, a monitoring-related function or a communication-related function. Various such features are disclosed.

Abstract: A device (50) facilitates installing elevator guide rails (30) within a hoistway (22) after at least a few doorways (40) have been installed. A selected doorway member (42) provides a guide or reference for positioning the guide rails (30). The device (50) includes a first portion (52) adapted to be selectively positioned relative to the selected doorway member (42) and a second portion (54) that holds corresponding sections of the guide rails (30) in a desired position and alignment relative to the selected doorway member (42).

Abstract: An elevator system (20) includes elevator car doors (30) that are moved by a door mover (34) between fully open and fully closed positions. An encoder (38, 38?) provides an absolute indication of a current door position. The encoder (38, 38?) also provides a fully closed door position indication that can be used by a machine controller (40) for controlling when an elevator car (22) is allowed to move within a hoistway. Using an encoder that provides an absolute door position indication allows for eliminating a separate gate switch that otherwise has been used for providing a fully closed door position indication.

Abstract: An elevator door assembly (20) includes a positioner (30) for controlling an orientation of an elevator door panel (22) during movement between open and closed positions. The positioner (30) biases the door in a direction generally perpendicular to the desired direction of door movement. The disclosed example includes a first positioner member (32) that remains in a fixed position. A second positioner member (34) is supported for movement with the elevator door (22). In disclosed examples, at least one of the positioner members (32, 34) provides a magnetic field that results in the biasing force. In a disclosed example, opposing polarities on permanent magnets are arranged to provide a repulsive force between the positioner members (32, 34), which provides the biasing force on the elevator door.

Abstract: An elevator car and counterweight system is provided with a variable drag element. The variable drag element is controlled such that the lower of the counterweight and the car has a higher drag against further movement. In an embodiment which is particularly useful in a 2:1 roping system, the sheaves (54, 58) associated with the counterweight (56) and the car (60) receive a braking/drive motor (62, 64) to provide the variable drag. While the present invention provides the variable drag to compensate for vertical differences between the counterweight and car, the invention can also be utilized to hold the car at a particular floor. Further, this invention can be utilized to address a counterweight or car jump situation. Another disclosed drag element may be a magnetizable member (40, 33) guided along a guide rail (34, 36) for each of the car (32) and the counterweight (38). A control controls the magnetic force associated with the guide elements to hold the car or prevent counterweight jump.

Abstract: A method to perform a pruning calibration of an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) commences with a pruning operation in relation to a pool of comparators, which includes redundant comparators, of the ADC to select a subset of selected comparators as operational. The selection of the subset of selected comparators may include selecting comparators with trip voltages appropriate to respective codes of an output of the ADC. Each comparator of the subset is assigned to a respective code of the output of the ADC. Unselected comparators within the ADC are operationally powered down. The pool of comparators includes more comparators than are required to product an N-bit output (i.e. the pool includes redundant comparators). The comparators of ADC are not required to be accurate and trip voltages of the pool of comparators are distributed over an input voltage range of the ADC.

Abstract: A new skin vibrator converts simple or complex electrical waveforms into simple or complex mechanical waveforms or vibrations that are applied to the skin and underlying tissues for therapy or pleasure. The complex waveforms may be completely random in response to the output of a random electrical noise generator, or non-random but complex in response to music or speech. In effect, random acoustic vibrations or speech or musical vibrations are induced in the skin and underlying tissues. The vibrator comprises an oblong hollow body having a solenoidal motor mounted inside. The solenoid is partially damped at both extremes of its stroke to buffer the impact within the vibrator and thereby soften the vibration. Wires extend from the vibrator for connection with a signal generator, audio amplifier or other source of the electrical waveforms.

Abstract: A current folding and interpolating circuit (80) in an analog-to-digital converter (10, 152) has L folders, each of them includes M differential pairs (82, 84), each having N first transistors (86-89, 100-103) biased by an input voltage and N second transistors (90-93, 96-99) biased by a reference voltage, and a current source (110, 112) coupled to the source terminals of the first and second transistors. The second transistors of different differential pairs are biased with different reference voltages. Selected drain terminals of the first transistors (89) of one folder (82) are coupled to selected drain terminals of the first transistors (100) of at least one other folder (84), and selected drain terminals of the second transistors (93) of one folder (82) are coupled to selected drain terminals of the second transistors (96) of at least one other folder (84). More than one interpolated signals may be generated between two folders.

Abstract: A comparator (20, 30) for comparing first and second current inputs includes a first stage that has a first resistor (43) being coupled to a first input node and operable to produce the a first voltage level corresponding to the first current input at a first voltage node when a CLK signal is high. A second resistor (45) is provided and is coupled to a second input node and operable to produce a second voltage level corresponding to the second current input at a second voltage node when the CLK signal is high. A pair of cross-coupled transistors (36, 37) are coupled to the first and second voltage nodes when a CLK signal is high and are operable to latch the first and second voltage levels when the CLK signal is high. A first differential amplifier (60) is coupled to the first voltage node and is operable to receive the latched first voltage level at a non-inverting input and the latched second voltage level at an inverting, input and to generate a first amplified voltage level when the CLK signal is high.