Abstract: A rope climbing elevator (10) includes prime movers (40,42) and drive sheaves (32,34) secured to the car (10) and engaging stationary ropes (12-26).

Abstract: A ropeless governor system is provided for governing the speed of an elevator car (2) in the event of an overspeed condition. An actuator for a safety device (30) is positioned in close proximity to an elevator rail (14) and activated to come into contact and provide a dragging force against the rail in the event of an overspeed condition. The ropeless governor is coupled to an elevator safety braking system (26, 28) such that the dragging force activates the safety brakes. A safety controller (91) is used to determine if the speed of the elevator car has exceeded a predetermined threshold level and to produce a triggering signal (96) to operate the ropeless governor.

Abstract: Passenger or freight cabs 9 can roll on bridge rails 24, 25; 54, 55; 64, 65, between a pair of platforms such as an elevator car frame 19, a horizontal transport bogie 41, or a stationary platform 68. The bridge rails may move from a first position to a second position where they are parallel to, coaligned with and overlapping rails on one of the platforms so as to permit transferring a cab, either by individually rotating through corresponding axes passing through each rail, or by rotating a pair of such rails together about an axis passing between them.

Abstract: A rope climbing elevator (10) includes prime movers (40,42) and drive sheaves (32,34) secured to the car (10) and engaging stationary ropes (12-26).

Abstract: An elevator system provides service between a ground level and each of three upper levels through a single elevator shuttle hoistway system. Three elevator cabs 34-36, B, D, F are moved in a triple deck elevator car frame 35, or a four deck elevator car frame 75 in a low hoistway 26, 76; two cabs are moved in a double deck elevator car frame 30 or four deck car frame 76 in a mid hoistway 27, 52; and one cab is moved in a single deck car frame 31 or triple deck car frame 77 in a high hoistway 28, 53. Other embodiments have other car frame arrangements.

Abstract: To prevent elevator rope stretch effects when a horizontally transferable elevator cab (18) is rolled onto and off of an elevator car frame (10), an elevator car/floor lock (31) includes a bolt (47) which extends across the interface between the car frame and the building and engages a strike (39). Jack screw (44) and solenoid (60) embodiments are shown. To take the weight off the lock bolts so that they may be retracted to permit moving the car frame vertically in the hoistway, strain gages (64, 65) or load sensors (62, 63) provided in or adjacent the bolts sense the weight supported thereby, and a pretorque program (FIG. 6) provides armature current to the hoisting motor to raise or lower the car frame sufficiently to reduce the load on the bolts to nil.

Abstract: Elevator cabs are transferred between elevators, which may be shuttles, in various levels of a building, such as transport floors, in response to car calls registered in the cabs and hall calls registered on the transport floors. The cabs may be transferred from carriages or bogeys onto elevator car frames in a lateral direction, which is perpendicular to the motion of the cab on a carriage or bogey, or in a longitudinal direction which is the same as the direction of motion of a cab on a carriage or bogey. The horizontal/vertical control and transfer may be effected in response to the arrival at transport floors of elevators having cabs therein, or in response to the arrival at an elevator of a bogey carrying a cab which must be transported between a transport floor on one level of a building and a transport floor on another level of a building, in order to serve the need of a car call registered therein or a hall call.

Abstract: A first slidable auxiliary pinion (58a) on the bottom of a horizontally moveable elevator cab A (FIGS. 2-6) disposed on a car frame (14) or a landing is moved out from under the cab toward another car frame (13) or landing by means of a motorized pinion (56) until it engages a motorized pinion (57) on the adjacent car frame (13) or landing, which then pulls the auxiliary pinion and the entire cab toward the other car frame or landing until a main rack (45) fixed to the bottom of the cab engages a motorized pinion (34) on the other car frame (13) or landing, which pinion then pulls the entire cab onto the other car frame or landing. The auxiliary racks (58a, 58b) may be mounted on a common auxiliary rack member (58), or may be separate. The auxiliary motorized pinions (55, 56, 57) may be bidirectional, or may be; and auxiliary pinions (32C, 33C, 34C) may be; mounted on the same shaft with main pinions (32b, 33b, 34b).

Abstract: A plurality of express shuttle elevators S1-S4 exchange elevator cabs at a transfer floor 26 with local elevators L1-L10 by means of a carriage 107, the casters of which 93 are guided by tracks 70-83. The transfer floor has linear induction motor (LIM) primary segments 60-67 disposed on the transfer floor; the carriage has a LIM secondary 128 thereon for propulsion. The carriages can be locked 91, 92 to the transfer floor for loading, and cabs can be locked 131 onto the carriages for stability when being moved. A controller (FIGS. 10-13) keeps track of the progress of the cabs from one elevator to another.

Abstract: An elevator safety brake is provided comprising two cantilevers, a pivot, a spring, and a hold-off-engagement linkage. In one embodiment, the hold-off-engagement linkage is comprised of two upper struts, and two lower struts. When it is desired to slow or stop the elevator via the safety brake, the lower struts move from a first position in which the lower struts are substantially in alignment with one another and the cantilevers are in an open position, to a second position in which the lower struts are not substantially in alignment with one another and the cantilevers are in a closed position. When the cantilevers are in the closed position, the spring exerts a force via the cantilevers on the guide rail in order to decelerate the elevator.

Abstract: A cab having a wheeled carriage fixed thereto is moved between rails on an elevator car frame and similar rails on a wheeled bogey. The ends of the rails are scarfed in a complimentary fashion so as to provide a temporary half-lap joint between the rails of the bogey and the rails of the car frame. Motion is provided by linear motors having active primaries disposed on the car frame and the bogey and passive secondaries disposed on the cab carriage. Motor control is in response to position signals provided by magnetostrictive linear displacement transducers. The cab carriage includes rollers on vertical axes which contact the insides of the rails for guidance. The cab carriage wheels and rollers are disposed in pairs separated sufficiently so that at least one roller and one wheel of each pair is in contact with a full rail as the carriage crosses the rail joints between the car frame and the bogey.

Abstract: The arrival of each of four dual-hoistway shuttle elevators S1-S4 is synchronized with a selected one of ten local elevators L1-L10, or ten low rise elevators L1-L10 and ten high rise elevators H1-H10 at a transfer floor 26 by limiting 140 the speed of the shuttle, gradually 149, or rapidly 154, 155 decreasing the speed of the shuttle, delaying a local elevator by holding its doors open for extra time, or controlling the speed of a local elevator, by cancelling or avoiding hall calls. Empty local elevators may be allowed to remain at the high end of the building, or compelled to travel to the lobby if needed. Elevators approaching a transfer floor may be synchronized by adjusting the speed of one of them until the remaining distance is the same for both. Hall calls may be prevented, cancelled, or negatively biased in dependence upon the tardiness of a local elevator.

Abstract: A plurality of express shuttle elevators S1-S4 exchange elevator cabs at a transfer floor 26 with local elevators L1-L10 by means of a carriage 107, the casters of which 93 are guided by tracks 70-83. The transfer floor has linear induction motor (LIM) primary segments 60-67 disposed on the transfer floor; the carriage has a LIM secondary 128 thereon for propulsion. The carriages can be locked 91, 92 to the transfer floor for loading, and cabs can be locked 131 onto the carriages for stability when being moved. A controller (FIGS. 10-13) keeps track of the progress of the cabs from one elevator to another.

Abstract: To prevent elevator rope stretch effects when a horizontally transferable elevator cab (18) is rolled onto and off of an elevator car frame (10), an elevator car/floor lock (31) includes a bolt (37) which extends across the interface between the car frame and the building and engages a strike (39). Jack screw (44) and solenoid (60) embodiments are shown. The bolt may extend from the car frame to the building (FIGS. 1-4) or from the building to the car frame (FIG. 5).

Abstract: An elevator cab X is moved from a hoistway TL to a car frame (11) simultaneously with moving a cab Y from the car frame (11) onto a landing TR. Double deck car frames (11a) may be utilized with cars P, Q going in the opposite direction of cars X, Y as they are transferred between the car frame and corresponding landings.

Abstract: Elevator cabs A-C move upwardly through three or more contiguous overlapping hoistways 38-40 in the upper decks of double deck car frames 41-43, and move downwardly through the hoistways in the lower decks (or vice versa). To switch between decks, the cabs are offloaded from the hoistways into auxiliary elevators 50, 51 at the terminal ends of the shuttle, and are moved to be adjacent to the other deck by the auxiliary elevator and loaded thereon for the trip in the opposite direction. A second embodiment has additional auxiliary elevators 64, 65 and additional cabs D, E so that loading and unloading of passengers do not delay movement of the cabs in the hoistways.

Abstract: An elevator shuttle includes a plurality of elevator hoistways (14, 19, 24) which overlap, the elevator car frames (13, 21, 25) traveling in each hoistway including two decks per cab being carried by the car frame, plus an extra deck on car frames (20) in other than the highest (24) and lowest (14) hoistways. This allows cabs (C) traveling simultaneously, upwardly, in three or more hoistways to pass cabs (A, B) simultaneously traveling downwardly in those hoistways. The cabs may be loaded and unloaded while in the hoistway (FIGS. 1, 13, 21) or while in off-hoistway landing areas (FIG. 28). Embodiments include one cab per hoistway and two cabs per hoistway; three hoistways and four hoistways.

Abstract: A safety gate (24) is slidable vertically from an upper position at an elevator cab landing (22) where it obstructs movement of the elevator cab (20) into a hoistway, and a lower position that permits cab travel between a car frame (29) and the landing. An actuator (42) normally urges the gate upwardly; the actuator is moved by a cam assembly (36) on an approaching elevator car frame so as to slide the gate (24) downward, out of the way of cab motion.

Abstract: Double deck elevator cars (10-12) are moveable in corresponding adjacent overlapping hoistways (7-9). Passengers entering the bottom deck (39) from a ground landing are transferred into the bottom deck (47) of a second elevator as passengers in the upper deck (46) of the second elevator are transferred to the upper deck (38) of the first elevator. Passengers in the lower deck (31) of a third elevator (10) are transferred to a lower landing (33) as passengers in an upper landing (32) enter an upper deck (30) of the third elevator. Passengers are thereafter transferred in the same fashion between the second elevator and the third elevator at a second transfer level (49).

Abstract: Horizontally moveable elevator cabs (22, 23) are transferred from the upper deck of a first car frame (26) to the upper deck of a second car frame (27) and from the lower deck of the second car frame to the lower deck of the first car frame. Three elevator hoistways, each with a double deck car frame are controlled by computer routines. A rack and pinion horizontal motive means, for moving the cab from car frame to car frame is also briefly disclosed.