Abstract: The present approaches are in the in the field of vacuum (or pneumatic) elevators, where the elevator cabin is brought into motion in a vertically situated or vertically inclined and hermetically sealed elevator shaft by means of aerial pressure differential above and below the elevator cabin. Such approaches do not require having any ropes, pulleys, chains, gears, or hydraulics that are traditionally used in conventional elevator systems. More specifically, the present approaches are in the field of panoramic vacuum elevators, where the elevator hoistway is built of panoramic glass panels running from floor to ceiling of every floor and the elevator cabin is built of panoramic glass panels running from floor to the ceiling of the cabin, and that this type of elevator does not incorporate any metal constructive structures—frames, mesh, guides or rails that are traditionally used in every conventional elevator product.

Abstract: A debris disposal system mountable to an upwardly facing supporting surface having a HVAC outlet. A container is inserted in the outlet and has a lid which when open allows the debris to be swept into the container from the supporting surface.

Abstract: A method for balancing an elevator car including a frame; a cabin box mounted on the frame; and a plurality of elastic members, such as springs, in vertical direction between the frame and the cabin box, via which elastic members the cabin box rests on the frame. The method includes measuring the vertical distance between the frame and the cabin box in several horizontally spaced apart locations with distance sensors; and adjusting the weight distribution of the cabin box by adding and/or removing weight elements on the cabin box. An arrangement for balancing an elevator car is provided to implement the method.

Abstract: A debris disposal system mountable to an upwardly facing supporting surface such as a floor or bench top. A first container is fixedly mounted to the supporting surface and receives a removable second container having a lid which when open allows the debris to be swept into the second container.

Abstract: A below ground component management system includes a base plate disposed below a ground surface, a sleeve connected to the base plate and extending substantially perpendicular thereto toward the ground surface, and a cover sealably connected to an upper opening of the sleeve to form a substantially fluid-tight compartment with the base plate and the sleeve. The system also includes a component rack disposed within the compartment, and an actuator assembly configured to pass at least a portion of the rack through the opening. The actuator assembly includes a bracket, and first and second cylinders connected to the bracket. The first cylinder has a piston extending toward the base plate and the second cylinder has a piston extending toward the opening.

Abstract: A vibration damped elevator system is provided that includes a damper or dampers attached to the elevator cable. The damping coefficients of the damper or dampers are chosen to provide optimum dissipation of the vibratory energy in the elevator cable. A method of determining the optimum placement of the damper or dampers and their respective damping coefficients is also provided.

Abstract: An elevator system includes a roller (16) having a hardness that varies responsive to a magnetic field (20). The roller (16) rolls along a guide rail (28) to maintain a desired orientation of the elevator car (12). In one example, the roller (16) includes a membrane (30) defining a generally annular chamber (36) containing fluid (22) that changes viscosity responsive to changes in the magnetic field (20). The rollers (16) are associated with at least one magnetic field generator (18) that generates a magnetic field (20) of a selected strength. Varying the magnetic field varies the hardness of each roller (16) to control vibrations of the elevator car (12) to improve ride quality.

Abstract: The invention concerns a method for controlling a raising drive, the raising process occurring by means of pressure activation of at least one lift cylinder and the lowering process occurring by means of relieving, and a control of the lowering speed occurring by means of a variable flow resistance. In order to achieve a load-independent lowering speed, the flow resistance is determined in dependence of at least one load signal.

Abstract: A hoisting machine is interposed between a wall of a hoistway and a car when viewed in a horizontally-projected perspective, and a drive sheave is located opposite the wall of the hoistway. Vibration prevention members are located between the hoisting machine and a mount member attached to fixing members in the hoistway. The vibration prevention members are located at surfaces of upper and lower portions of the mount member facing the hoisting machine, supporting the hoisting machine on the mount member from underside. As a result, vibration control of the hoisting machine can be readily achieved, and the torque acting on the hoisting machine is supported by horizontal rigidity of the vibration prevention member. Consequently, the hoisting machine can be attached to the mount member without failure. Vibration and noise, which would arise during operation of an elevator in a hoistway of a building, is reduced, thereby making the environment of the elevator silent.

Abstract: An elevator includes a special propelling fluid dynamic device which uses as a plunger the duly balanced car counterweight. The car conveys people and things upwards and downwards within a vertical conduit or hoistway supported by a cable extending to an upper pulley. When changing the direction, a counterweight is extended to balance the car. The pulley is supported from the hoistway walls and is kept in a freely-rotating condition while the balanced counterweight is a hollow piston-counterweight, accommodated in the cylinder vertically disposed in the hoistway itself and adjacent to the car. Both are integral with the propelling fluid dynamic device that produces the upward and downward movements of the car, which is completed with a circuit having a fluid flow conduit and a driving pump coupled to the valve mechanism.

Abstract: In the buffer device for an elevator of the present invention, a hydraulic buffer that alleviates shock generated when a traveling body impacts a bottom of a hoistway is arranged at the bottom of the hoistway. Provided between the traveling body and the bottom of the hoistway is an elastic member that is elastically deformed and that alleviates the shock generated by the impact of the traveling body with the hydraulic buffer. The elastic member is arranged so that when elastically deformed, almost the whole thereof is positioned within a range of a vertical dimension of the hydraulic buffer.

Abstract: An elevator including a cage for accommodating passengers configured to move up and down in a shaft along a guide rail, a support base attached to a lower portion of the cage, a plurality of car sheaves rotatably secured to the support base through respective axles, a cable placed around the car sheaves and configured to suspend the cage, and at least one damper coupled to the cage and configured to attenuate vibration transferred from the cable to the cage.

Abstract: An elevator includes a special propelling fluid dynamic device which uses as a plunger the duly balanced car counterweight. The car conveys people and things upwards and downwards within a vertical conduit or hoistway supported by a cable extending to an upper pulley. When changing the direction, a counterweight is extended to balance the car. The pulley is supported from the hoistway walls and is kept in a freely-rotating condition while the balanced counterweight is a hollow piston-counterweight, accommodated in the cylinder vertically disposed in the hoistway itself and adjacent to the car. Both are integral with the propelling fluid dynamic device that produces the upward and downward movements of the car, which is completed with a circuit having a fluid flow conduit and a driving pump coupled to the valve mechanism.

Abstract: A virtually active hitch system is provided for the damping of vertical oscillations of an elevator car during a semi-active hitch mode of operation along a relatively lengthy elevator travel path and for load leveling the elevator car during an active mode when the elevator is braked. The virtually active hitch stores energy derived from the elevator motor during the semi-active mode, and utilizes that stored energy during the active mode to actively adjust the positioning of the elevator car, as might result from load changes. The hitch assembly may advantageously use hydraulic piston and cylinder means to adjust, or impede adjustment of, a limited hitch gap between a support rope and the elevator car. The hydraulic circuit associated with the piston and cylinder may include a variable orifice valve to control damping action and a pair of accumulators controlled via a switching network to selectively store and release energy and to also serve as a spring.

Abstract: An elevator cage including a cage frame, a cage chamber fixed on the cage frame, and a liquid vibration absorber fixed between the cage chamber and the cage frame. The liquid vibration absorber includes a first liquid chamber and a second liquid chamber, and the inner volumes of the first and second liquid chambers are variable according to elastic deformation, respectively. The liquid vibration absorber further includes an orifice portion communicating between the first and second liquid chambers and a liquid filled inside of the first and second liquid chambers and the orifice portion.

Abstract: Even if rope (13) and spring (15) oscillate, to suppress these oscillations as much as possible.An elevator system is equipped with a car (1) that is installed such that it can freely move up and down in a hoistway, a sheave (14) that is installed at the top of the hoistway, a rope (13) for pulling the car that is suspended from this sheave (14), a suspension rod (9) to which the end of this rope (13) is attached, a spring (15) for damping vibrations which is installed between this suspension rod (9) and the car (1), a cylinder device (16) which attenuates the vibrations and has a flow volume control valve (22), a rotary encoder (24) for detecting the position of the car (1) in order to calculate the length of the rope, a load sensor (25) for detecting the load of the car (1) and a control panel (23) which calculates the characteristic vibration frequency f of the rope (13) from the length of the rope, the characteristic vibration frequency f.sub.

Abstract: An elevator mechanism is disposed in the rear portion for rotating the rear panel of the vehicle and includes two pairs of links pivotally coupled in parallel between two couplers and a support of the vehicle so as to stably support the coupler. An actuator is coupled between the support and the coupler for moving the coupler upward and downward. A panel is pivotally coupled to the upper portion of the coupler and an actuator is coupled between the bottom of the panel and the middle portion of the coupler for rotating the panel about the upper portion of the coupler.

Abstract: A traction-type elevator includes a driving sheave (19) arranged in an upper portion of an elevator shaft, cage sheaves (6, 7) arranged at an angle with respect to the driving sheave (19) and mounted on a support beam (5), multiple (or turns of a rope) ropes (17) hung on the cage sheaves (6, 7) and the driving sheave (19), and a hanging rod (10) for hanging a cage from the support beam (5). In this traction-type elevator according to the invention, one torsion coil spring (16) is arranged between the cage side and the aforementioned support beam (5) appropriately so that the aforementioned hanging rod (10) is inserted through it; the two ends of torsion coil spring (16) are attached to a cage side and a side of the support beam (5), respectively. The support beam (5) can effectively rotate to relax torsion in the ropes (17), and it is possible to suppress generation of vibration by the torsion. Also, the torsion coil spring (16) can play the role in damping vibration without shifting outwardly.

Abstract: A safety device arrangement for stopping the downward drift of an elevator car (1) has a controllable arrester (10) mounted on the supporting frame (7) of an elevator car. The arrangement is provided with latches (20), and for each latch a stop block (26) is immovably mounted in the elevator shaft (3). The arrangement comprises buffer elements (13) placed between the arrester (10) and the supporting frame (7) of the elevator car. When the elevator car rests on latches (20) engaged by stop blocks (26), the resulting supporting forces are passed between the car frame (7) and the arrester (10) substantially only through the buffer elements (13).