Abstract: A braking device may include first and second brake pads disposed opposite one another about a guide rail, for developing braking forces when the brake pads engage the guide rail. The first brake pad has a wedge shape and may taper in a wedge direction. A front side of the first brake pad facing the guide rail is aligned parallel to the guide rail, and a rear side of the first brake pad is angled corresponding to the wedge shape. The rear side of the first brake pad lies in a sliding manner against a contact surface of a first brake pad seat disposed at an angle corresponding to the first brake pad. In a first setting a locking device unblocks a sliding movement of the first brake pad, and in a second setting the locking device blocks the sliding movement of the first brake pad.

Abstract: An elevator system may include at least two elevator shafts and at least one elevator car. A vertically extending rail may be disposed in each elevator shaft, and the elevator car may travel along the vertically extending rail. Each rail may be formed with a rotatable segment such that the rotatable segments can be aligned relative to one another in a transfer plane. Thereafter, the elevator car may travel between the elevator shafts along the segments. In some cases, the vertically extending rail may form part of a linear drive that causes the elevator car to move without the use of cables.

Abstract: A human transport device such as an escalator or a moving walkway may include tread elements connected into an endless transport belt, a drive unit for driving the transport belt, and a monitoring apparatus for detecting a faulty arrangement of at least one of the tread elements in the transport belt. The tread elements of the driven transport belt may pass through a transport region and a return region between a first return station and a second return station. The monitoring apparatus may have a detection means and a triggering unit. The detection means may be arranged in a direction of a longitudinal extension of the human transport device below the tread elements of the transport region between the first and second return stations. The detection means may be connected to the triggering unit, and the triggering unit may actuate upon mechanical influence on the detection means.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for generating content for a display on a dispatch kiosk includes using a computing structure remote from the dispatch kiosk to: (1) create a floor layout grid for each elevator hall in a building; (2) automatically generate a graph-based map model from the floor layout grid; (3) automatically calculate a plurality of walk path options from a call kiosk to a designated elevator based on the graph-based map model; (4) determine an optimal walk path from the call kiosk to the designated elevator from the plurality of walk path options; (5) automatically render a floor map image displaying the optimal walk path; and (6) communicate the floor map image from the computing structure to the dispatch kiosk in order to enable the dispatch kiosk to exhibit the floor map image on the dispatch kiosk display in response to an elevator call.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to a lift installation having a lift car which can be moved along a guide rail. The lift installation here comprises at least a first pair of rollers and a second pair of rollers. The guide rail runs between the two rollers of the first pair of rollers and between the two rollers of the second pair of rollers. The lift installation also has an apparatus for subjecting the lift car to a retaining force, wherein there is a horizontal offset between the point at which the retaining force takes effect and the center of gravity of the lift car, and therefore the lift car is subjected to a first torque.

Abstract: An elevator system may include a guide rail and a car that is movable along the guide rail in a driving direction. A first guide element may be connected to the car. Furthermore, the guide rail may comprise a first guide section that has a first guide groove. The first guide element may engage positively in the first guide groove, and the first guide element may be guided in the first guide groove as the car moves. The elevator system may also include a second guide element that is connected to the car and is disposed adjacent to the first guide element. The second guide element may also engage positively in the first guide groove and be guided in the first guide groove as the car moves.

Abstract: A method for operating an elevator installation may be used with elevator installations that have at least two cars in one elevator shaft. A first car may be travelling or configured to travel in a direction of a second car, and the first car may be moved with reference to a travel curve in such a way that a distance between the first car and the second car can be controlled to an adjustable minimum distance. The adjustable minimum distance may be set as a function of a speed of at least one of the first car or the second car. Further, the distance between the first car and the second car can be controlled to the adjustable minimum distance with continuous calculation of a virtual stopping point for the first car, at which virtual stopping point the first car is stoppable with a safety clearance from the second car.

Abstract: A drive unit may be employed by an elevator system with vertical guide rails in two shafts, a horizontal guide rail that connects the vertical guide rails in the two shafts, independently movable elevator cars guided via guide rollers, and a rotatable rail segment configured to be transferred by the drive unit from a vertical alignment into a horizontal alignment so that the elevator cars may be transferred between shafts. The drive unit may include a first interface for at least indirectly fastening the rotatable rail segment to the drive unit, and a second interface for at least indirectly fastening the drive unit to a shaft wall in the first or second elevator shafts.

Abstract: Methods for determining an absolute position of a moving travel unit of a stationary transport system, the travel unit movable along a travel path inside the system. The travel unit is driven by at least one linear motor along the path. The linear motor is a synchronous motor including a plurality of stator units installed along the travel path configured to provide a magnetic field traveling along the travel path. At least one rotor unit is attached to the travel unit and is configured to be driven along the travel path by the traveling magnetic field. Wherein respectively by analysis of regulating parameters of a vector regulation of the linear motor an active stator unit is determined from the plurality, which presently provides the magnetic field driving the rotor unit and a relative position of the rotor unit in relation to the active stator unit is computed.

Abstract: An elevator installation may include at least one car that is displaceable in an elevator shaft; a first supply unit for supplying the car with energy, material, and/or data; and an interchange arrangement for interchanging the first supply unit to the car whereby the first supply unit is removed from or attached to the car during ongoing operation of the elevator installation. The interchange arrangement may be configured to remove and/or attached one or more supply units from the car during a regular door-opening cycle where the car stops at a floor of a building in which the elevator installation is installed. A duration of time required to remove the first supply unit from the car, or alternatively add the first supply unit to the car, is less than a duration of time required for a regular door-opening cycle.

Abstract: An elevator end termination includes a base member including a proximal end and a distal end and defining an internal belt cavity opening at the proximal end of the base member, an elevator belt comprising an outer jacket and an internal load carrier of a substantially rectangular cross-section, wherein the internal load carrier is exposed on an end of the elevator belt, in which a portion of the elevator belt end is positioned in the belt cavity, and an adhesive provided in the belt cavity at least between opposite sides of the elevator belt and opposing interior walls of the base member, in which the elevator belt is adhesively bonded to the base member.

Abstract: An example elevator system may include a shaft in which a first elevator car and a second elevator car positioned below the first elevator car are separately movable up and down in a vertical direction along a common guideway. The first elevator car may be coupled to a first counterweight by first suspension ropes and by first compensation ropes, and the second elevator car may be coupled to a second counterweight by second suspension ropes and second compensation ropes. Further, first and second ends of the first compensation ropes may be secured to the first counterweight or to the first elevator car. The first compensation ropes may be guided around at least one roller positioned on a bottom surface of the first elevator car or on the counterweight.

Abstract: An example electromotive linear drive mechanism for moving walkways for conveying people or objects may comprise a long stator as an active primary part positioned along a direction of movement of a moving walkway, as well as a plurality of passive secondary parts that are movable with respect to the active primary part and are arranged with one another along the direction of movement. The long stator may have a plurality of successive long stator sections in the form of coil groups along the direction of movement. Each long stator section may have its own control device that is configured to move the secondary parts using control parameters stipulated for the respective long stator section. Further, example methods for operating the electromotive linear drive mechanism may involve predefining different movement profiles for the respective control devices for at least some of the long stator sections such that the secondary parts move along the long stator in a non-uniform manner.

Abstract: An elevator system may include a plurality of elevator banks that extend vertically over stories of a building, a plurality of cabs that are movable in the plurality of elevator banks and may change between elevator shafts of the plurality of elevator banks, and one or more cab-accommodating shafts for accommodating one or more of the cabs. The cab-accommodating shafts may extend vertically over fewer stories than one of the elevator shafts of the plurality of elevator banks. In some cases, elevator banks may be separated by a shaft-free intermediate space, and the cab-accommodating shafts may extend over the shaft-free intermediate space to connect multiple elevator shafts.

Abstract: An end termination for an elevator system may include an outer clamping member, an inner clamping member having a dimension in a first plane that is greater than a dimension in a second plane, the first plane being spaced from the second plane along a longitudinal axis of the end termination, the inner clamping member coaxially disposed in the outer clamping member, a housing holding the inner clamping member and the outer clamping member therein, and a tightening arrangement to clamp a belt between the inner clamping member and the outer clamping member.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to a guide rail to guide the car of an elevator system. The guide rail is designed as a section with a cavity (2a-2f) and/or integrated cooling fins to cool the guide rail.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to an elevator system and a method for operating such an elevator system. The elevator system has a cabin and a first and a second transport path for the cabin. The direction of the first transport path differs from that of the second transport path. A signaling device is located in or on the cabin, which displays a change of the cabin from the first transport path into the second transport path and/or vice versa.

Abstract: Lift systems may include a first shaft unit and a second shaft unit, each of which may include a number of lift shafts. One or more single-car systems and/or multi-car systems may be disposed in the first shaft unit, whereas one or more shaft-changing multi-car systems may be disposed in the second shaft unit. A transporting operation may be carried out from an initial floor to a destination floor wherein a control unit determines whether to utilize one or more cars from the single car systems, the multi-car systems, the shaft-changing multi-car systems, or some combination thereof depending on factors such as the destination floors of the passengers, traffic density, energy demand, and/or availability of cars.

Abstract: A device may be employed to damp vibrations in elevator installations. The device may include two metal plates that are spaced apart from one another by an insulator made of an elastomer. An inner side of at least one of the two metal plates may have a structure that is formed by projections. In some cases, both of the metal plates may include such structures, and the projections of each metal plate may engage with one another. Due to the flexibility of the insulator, the insulator can fit in the structure formed by the projections. Geometric sizes of the projections, arrangement of the projections, shapes of the projections, and spacings between the projections can all affect a level of damping.

Abstract: A communication system includes a host node and a plurality of network nodes. The host node has a processor, a non-transitory computer memory, a host receiver, and a host output select line. Each of the plurality of network nodes has an input select line, an output select line, and a tri-state transceiver. The host node and the plurality of network nodes are daisy chained such that the input select line of one of the plurality of network nodes is coupled to the output select line of the preceding node. The tri-state transceiver of each of the plurality of network nodes is activated when the input select line of that node receives a token from the output select line of the preceding node.