Abstract: A method and device for maintenance of an elevator installation or an escalator installation communicates the presence of a maintenance technician at the elevator or escalator installation to a remote service center. The service center is thus informed about that the maintenance technician has to maintain or is maintaining or has maintained a specific installation and is in a position of checking the quality of this maintenance. The maintenance operations are recorded as a maintenance record and communicated to the service center. For example, the maintenance record contains details about which maintenance technician on which day of the year and for how long has undertaken which maintenance operations on a specific elevator or escalator installation. The quality of a thus detected maintenance can then be compared with a quality standard. In addition, the maintenance operations performed are thus uniquely detected and can be evaluated.

Abstract: An improved lift system door control or safety circuit utilizes locking devices for the lift shaft doors and lock sensors to monitor the status of the locking devices. The lock sensors are coupled to a lift drive unit control through a data bus, which need not be especially designed as a safety data bus. The lock sensors are repeatedly interrogated at short term intervals. The status of the doors is interrogated on a longer time interval, and such data is also passed to the drive unit control by the data bus. The interrogations are used to determine the operating condition of the locking sensors as well as whether communications or transmission errors are present.

Abstract: An elevator installation for conveying persons/goods, a method for operating the elevator installation and to a method for modernizing an elevator installation. The elevator installation includes at least two cages arranged one above the other in a vertical travel direction, and a drive per cage for moving the cages. The cage and the drive are connected by way of a conveying member. A counterweight for weight compensation of each cage. At least one cage guide rail is provided for guiding the cages, and at least a pair of counterweight guide rails are provided for guiding the counterweights. The drives are arranged near different first walls in the shaft.

Abstract: A method and device for maintenance of an elevator installation or an escalator installation communicates the presence of a maintenance technician at the elevator or escalator installation to a remote service center. The service center is thus informed about that the maintenance technician has to maintain or is maintaining or has maintained a specific installation and is in a position of checking the quality of this maintenance. The maintenance operations are recorded as a maintenance record and communicated to the service center. For example, the maintenance record contains details about which maintenance technician on which day of the year and for how long has undertaken which maintenance operations on a specific elevator or escalator installation. The quality of a thus detected maintenance can then be compared with a quality standard. In addition, the maintenance operations performed are thus uniquely detected and can be evaluated.

Abstract: A safety system for an elevator installation for the transport of persons/goods in a building and a method for operating an elevator installation with a safety system. Several cages are moved one above the other in a shaft. Each cage is moved by a drive. At least one drive control controls the drives by way of drive control signals. Cage position detecting sensors detect positions of each cage and transmit cage position data to at least one safety control. Access to the shaft takes place by way of opened shaft doors. A lock locks the shaft doors. Lock setting detecting sensors detect settings of the locks of the shaft doors and transmit lock setting data by way of the data bus to the safety control. The safety control ascertains, from the cage position data and the lock setting data, shaft region data with details with respect to shaft regions in which each cage is safely movable.

Abstract: A shaft monitoring system for an elevator installation includes a contactless sensor enabling recognition from the elevator car whether a shaft door lock and a shaft door leaf are in a correct locked setting. A securing device mechanically secures the shaft door lock in order to prevent opening of the shaft door and is mechanically and/or electromagnetically actuatable from the elevator car. The contactless sensor includes an active sensor part arranged at the car door and a passive sensor part arranged at the shaft door lock to be monitored. The active sensor part interacts with the passive sensor part as soon as the elevator car stops behind the shaft door and the shaft door leaf and the shaft door lock are disposed in the correct locked setting. The active sensor part also can transiently interact with the passive sensor part when the elevator car moves past the shaft door.

Abstract: Safety system of an elevator installation, with a control unit, a bus node, a safety element and a bus, which enables a communication between the control unit and the bus node. The bus node includes a first switching arrangement, which on digital presetting by the control unit acts on the safety element by a first analog signal. The bus node additionally includes a second switching arrangement which derives an analog signal from the safety element and makes digital feedback information available to the control unit by way of the bus.

Abstract: An elevator, particularly for transporting passengers, has an elevator car guided in an elevator shaft a direct drive motor. The drive motor includes an active primary part at the elevator car and a passive secondary part that is fixed in the elevator shaft and is spaced from the primary part by an air gap. In order to achieve a high power capability, the drive motor is configured as a transverse flux motor that moves the primary part linearly relative to the secondary part under the influence of an electromagnetic propulsive force. The secondary part has at least one rail made of a soft magnetic material and subdivided into a plurality of segments having a predetermined length. The segments are fixed to a wall of the elevator shaft by intermediate elements.

Abstract: An elevator system includes an elevator car having a car door, a drive unit for moving the elevator car along an elevator shaft wall provided with shaft doors and a controller for controlling movement of the elevator car along the elevator shaft wall. A separate fault detecting device is mounted in a region of each of the shaft doors and in a region of the car door for generating fault information to controller. A status detecting unit generates to the controller status information about a position and a speed of the elevator car. In the case of a fault in the region of one of the shaft doors, the controller permits operation of the elevator car between those floors that can be reached by the elevator car without having to pass the floor at the shaft door where the fault has occurred.

Abstract: An elevator installation with an elevator case, an elevator shaft, and a drive unit. The elevator cage is installed in the elevator shaft to be movable and is controllable by the drive unit so that the elevator cage can be stopped in different positions in the elevator shaft. The elevator shaft is equipped with a detecting device which detects whether a person is standing in a critical zone in the elevator shaft or is about to go into this. The detecting device is connected with the drive unit so that the elevator installation can be transferred to a special mode of operation in case a person is standing in the critical zone or is about to go into this. The drive unit includes special control equipment which in the special mode of operation stops the elevator cage before it moves into the critical zone. In that case the detecting device and the special control equipment are designed to be operationally safe in order to prevent movement of the elevator cage into the critical zone.

Abstract: A device for monitoring an elevator area utilizes a three-dimensional semiconductor sensor for detecting three-dimensional image information. The sensor includes a light source that is mounted so that the elevator area to be monitored is disposed in the illuminated area of the light source, a sensor group that is mounted in such a manner that it receives reflected light, and a processing chip for converting the electrical signals into image information. In addition, the device includes a processing device that is connected with the semiconductor sensor in order to make available three-dimensional image information. The processing device processes the image information in order to obtain state information representing the state of the elevator area to be monitored.

Abstract: A method for preventing an inadmissibly high speed of a load receiving unit of an elevator, including the steps of supplying information about an actual position and an actual speed of the load receiving unit in an area of an entire travel way of the load receiving unit to a speed monitoring device by at least one measuring system, continuously comparing the actual speed with a speed limit value by the speed monitoring device, and activating braking measures if the speed of the load receiving unit exceeds a speed limit value. At least three different braking measures are successively triggered by the speed monitoring device.

Abstract: Safety system (10) of a lift installation, with a control unit (11), a bus node (13), a safety element (16) and a bus (12), which enables a communication between the control unit (11) and the bus node (13). The bus node (13) comprises first switching means (14), which on digital presetting by the control unit (11) acts on the safety element (16) by a first analog signal. The bus node (13) additionally comprises second switching means (15) which derive an analog signal from the safety element (16) and make digital feedback information available to the control unit (11) by way of the bus (12).

Abstract: A device for monitoring an elevator area utilizes a three-dimensional semiconductor sensor for detecting three-dimensional image information. The sensor includes a light source that is mounted so that the elevator area to be monitored is disposed in the illuminated area of the light source, a sensor group that is mounted in such a manner that it receives reflected light, and a processing chip for converting the electrical signals into image information. In addition, the device includes a processing device that is connected with the semiconductor sensor in order to make available three-dimensional image information. The processing device processes the image information in order to obtain state information representing the state of the elevator area to be monitored.

Abstract: A monitoring system for monitoring doors such as a shaft or cabin door, of a lift installation includes a sensor element associated with the doors for monitoring the state or position of the door. An evaluation system is connected to the sensor element and evaluates the sensor signals. The evaluation system can perform continued evaluation in short time intervals in order to provide a continuous record of the state of the monitored doors and temporal changes in the signal characteristics of the sensor signals.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method for monitoring an elevator door include a sensor for detecting three-dimensional image information. Processing equipment evaluates the image information of detected images to recognize a deviation between two images and trigger a situation-adapted reaction. The sensor includes a light source mounted in the region of the elevator door so that the elevator door is disposed at least partly in the illuminated region of the light source. In addition, the sensor includes a sensor group mounted so that it receives light reflected from the door.

Abstract: Elevator cars move in two vertical hoistways each having at least one crossing-point to a third vertical parking hoistway arranged between the two hoistways to allow transfer of the elevator cars between adjacent ones of the hoistways. A control system and a drive move empty elevator cars through the crossing-points for parking and for responding to calls for service.

Abstract: A safety system for an elevator installation for the transport of persons/goods in a building and a method for operating an elevator installation with a safety system. Several cages are moved one above the other in a shaft. Each cage is moved by a drive. At least one drive control controls the drives by way of drive control signals. Cage position detecting sensors detect positions of each cage and transmit cage position data to at least one safety control. Access to the shaft takes place by way of opened shaft doors. A lock locks the shaft doors. Lock setting detecting sensors detect settings of the locks of the shaft doors and transmit lock setting data by way of the data bus to the safety control. The safety control ascertains, from the cage position data and the lock setting data, shaft region data with details with respect to shaft regions in which each cage is safely movable.

Abstract: An elevator, particularly for transporting passengers, has an elevator car guided in an elevator shaft a direct drive motor. The drive motor includes an active primary part at the elevator car and a passive secondary part that is fixed in the elevator shaft and is spaced from the primary part by an air gap. In order to achieve a high power capability, the drive motor is configured as a transverse flux motor that moves the primary part linearly relative to the secondary part under the influence of an electromagnetic propulsive force. The secondary part has at least one rail made of a soft magnetic material and subdivided into a plurality of segments having a predetermined length. The segments are fixed to a wall of the elevator shaft by intermediate elements.

Abstract: A shaft monitoring system for an elevator installation includes a contactless sensor enabling recognition from the elevator car whether a shaft door lock and a shaft door leaf are in a correct locked setting. A securing device mechanically secures the shaft door lock in order to prevent opening of the shaft door and is mechanically and/or electromagnetically actuatable from the elevator car. The contactless sensor includes an active sensor part arranged at the car door and a passive sensor part arranged at the shaft door lock to be monitored. The active sensor part interacts with the passive sensor part as soon as the elevator car stops behind the shaft door and the shaft door leaf and the shaft door lock are disposed in the correct locked setting. The active sensor part also can transiently interact with the passive sensor part when the elevator car moves past the shaft door.