With Monitoring, Signalling, And Indicating Means Patents (Class 187/391)
  • Patent number: 8708107
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and a device for monitoring a lifting system (11) for lifting loads, particularly vehicles, in which for lifting a load (14), the lifting movement is initiated by a starting phase, and lifting devices (12) are individually driven in the starting phase. Load holding means (18) of the lifting devices (12) are raised until a pre-set minimum load is detected by the pressure sensor (24), and the load holding means (18) are raised by a pre-selectable displacement distance in a load recognition phase of the lifting process following the starting phase, and after the pre-selected displacement distance is passed through, a load inquiry is carried out and the determined load is stored as a reference value for the further lifting process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2014
    Assignee: Walter Finkbeiner GmbH
    Inventor: Gerhard Finkbeiner
  • Patent number: 8689944
    Abstract: The invention relates to an electricity supply apparatus, an elevator system and a method for limiting the electricity consumption of an elevator system. The electricity supply apparatus according to the invention is fitted to supply electricity to one or more devices in an elevator system. The minimum value of the permitted supply voltage with which the apparatus still operates is determined for one or more appliances of the elevator system, and the electricity supply apparatus is equipped to change the supply voltage of the one or more appliances of the elevator system towards the minimum value of the permitted supply voltage for limiting electricity consumption of the elevator system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Kone Corporation
    Inventors: Mirco Manfredi, Sara Maria Rosaria Ruggieri, Alessandro Pilone, Claudio Donghi, Francesco Burroni
  • Patent number: 8688664
    Abstract: A method for updating floor information for display by an elevator in a remote property includes receiving, from a property server, data indicative of a floor for which the elevator lacks floor information, receiving, from a remotely executing process, new floor information for the floor; storing the new floor information in a floor information database; receiving, from the property server, a request identifying the remote property and requesting updated floor information for the remote property; and retrieving updated floor information from the floor-information database.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Assignee: Captivate, LLC
    Inventors: Raymond J. Pineau, Erik Barron, Michael Lynch
  • Patent number: 8686747
    Abstract: A monitoring device for a suspension-and-traction apparatus of an elevator system that includes at least one electrically conductive cord contains a measurement apparatus for determining a resulting resistance. The measurement apparatus is connected to the cord with contacting elements contacting opposite ends of cord. Damage to the suspension-and-traction apparatus is detected by a contact point that can register protruding conductive parts of the cord and, in another embodiment, the contacting elements each contain a plurality of mutually differing resistance elements such that each of at least two electrically conductive cords of the suspension-and-traction apparatus is connected to the monitoring device through two of the resistance elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Assignee: Inventio AG
    Inventors: Oliver Berner, Micro Annen
  • Patent number: 8672098
    Abstract: There is provided an elevator safety device that can prevent a light beam from being looked into. The elevator safety device according to the present invention includes light emitting means for emitting a light beam crossing an entrance; light receiving means for detecting the light beam emitted from the light emitting means; foreign matter detection means for generating a foreign matter detection signal when detection of the light beam by the light receiving means is interrupted; and control means. The control means causes the light emitting means to stop an emission in a fully opened state of car doors, and causes the light emitting means to start the emission at a start of or during a closing operation of the car doors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2014
    Assignee: Fujitec Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroshi Kashiwakura, Keishiro Hirohata, Takuya Fujii
  • Patent number: 8672099
    Abstract: A sensor for safety apparatuses for elevator apparatuses which can move a cab by means of a drive, the sensor including a contact bridge and a contact receptacle for receiving the contact bridge, said contact bridge being arranged in such a way that the closing state of the elevator door can be determined by connection of the contact receptacle and the contact bridge. In order to be able to improve in particular the susceptibility to maintenance, the sensor is in the form of an optical sensor which comprises a transmitter for transmitting an optical signal and a receiver for receiving the optical signal, the transmitter and the receiver being arranged on the contact receptacle and the contact bridge comprising at least one transmission element for transmitting the optical signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2014
    Assignee: Cedes AG
    Inventors: Beat De Coi, Dumeng Hersche, Jürg Hegelbach, Tobias Leutenegger
  • Patent number: 8662255
    Abstract: An exemplary method for handling passenger requests during elevator system modernization includes modernizing elevator cars over time. The modernized elevator cars are capable of servicing destination requests placed outside of an elevator car and 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. A percentage of the elevator cars that are not yet modernized are reserved and new pending requests are assigned to a modernized elevator car if a percentage of modernized cars plus the reserved percentage is greater than a current percentage of pending requests assigned to modernized elevator cars.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Otis Elevator Company
    Inventors: Michael P. Flynn, Allen Patenaude, Jannah A. Stanley, Daniel S. Williams
  • Patent number: 8662256
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a response time calculation unit calculates a response time of each of the cars required when the car stop call is assigned to the car. An assignment control unit assigns the car stop call to the optimum car, based on the response time of each of the cars. A car load calculation unit calculates a load value of each car at the time when each car starts from a registration floor of the car stop call after responding to the call. A boarding possibility determination unit determines, for each car, whether the user can get on the car or not, by comparing the load value with a preset capacity value. A registration control unit performs control to assign the car stop call, including a second and later responses to the registration floor of the car stop call, based on a determination result of the boarding possibility.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Toshiba Elevator Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Norimasa Asano
  • Patent number: 8651242
    Abstract: In a method for adapting control functions in elevator systems using portable call terminals for providing calls, values of the control parameters are set and then used in the control of the elevator system. The values of the control parameters are dependent on the location of the call terminals. An elevator system includes: at least one elevator; at least one freely locatable call terminal; and a control system responsive to the call terminal. The control system is configured to control the elevator system based on at least one control parameter. A value of the control parameter is determined based on a location of the call terminal within a building after the portable call terminal is arranged at the location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: Kone Corporation
    Inventors: Jukka-Pekka Sarjanen, Tuomas Susi, Niko Elomaa
  • Patent number: 8646581
    Abstract: An elevator group management system capable of appropriately performing car assignment processing without leaving any one behind and enabling a passenger to recognize a car to board without fail. A fellow passenger group assignment section assigns fellow passenger groups to respective passengers based on the contents of hall call registration for each floor received from a hall operation panel, and causes the hall operation panel that has sent the hall call registration to display names of the assigned fellow passenger. A fellow passenger group car assignment section executes, on the fellow passenger groups assigned by the fellow passenger group assignment section, car assignment processing of assigning any of a plurality of cars as an assigned car and, in a case of determining the assigned car, provides car control sections with a passenger guide command containing at least combination information on this assigned car that has been determined and the fellow passenger group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2014
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Masafumi Iwata, Naohiko Suzuki, Shingo Kobori, Sakurako Tokura, Yoshimasa Koba, Kouji Takeshima, Masayuki Mitsuda, Yoshinori Nonami
  • Patent number: 8646579
    Abstract: An elevator installation has at least one terminal and at least one call control. The terminal communicates data with respect to an input floor and a destination floor to the call control by way of at least one signal bus. The call control is arranged on a first plug-in card. At least one signal-bus adapter for the signal bus is arranged on a second plug-in card. The first plug-in card and the second plug-in card are directly connected together to form a circuit board.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2014
    Assignee: Inventio AG
    Inventor: Kilian Schuster
  • Patent number: 8640828
    Abstract: A supporting belt for a transport device, such as an elevator system, includes at least one stranded wire made of an electrically conducting material for absorbing the forces absorbed by the supporting belt and an electrically insulating jacket that encloses the wire. In order to determine the state of the wire, the wire can be contacted by a contact element securely and reliably and in an exact manner. To achieve this, the jacket is at least partially removed in the area of an opening of the supporting belt and the wire is at least partially exposed in the area of the opening. The wire thus does not include a jacket substantially perpendicularly to a longitudinal axis formed by a center point of a cross-section of the wire. The wire can be contacted by a contact element without the jacket being pierced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2014
    Assignee: Inventio AG
    Inventors: Mirco Annen, Stephan Jans, Hans Kocher
  • Patent number: 8640831
    Abstract: The object of the invention is a method and an arrangement for modernizing an elevator group, in which method the elevators of the elevator group are modernized in turn such that both modernized elevators and unmodernized elevators can be simultaneously in use in the elevator group, of which elevators the modernized elevators are each provided with individualized identification marks while the old unmodernized elevators in use in the elevator group are each provided with a similar identification mark to each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2014
    Assignee: Kone Corporation
    Inventor: Tapani Talonen
  • Publication number: 20140027209
    Abstract: An elevator system and a method for monitoring the operating condition of an elevator system are disclosed. In the method, samples are taken of the control signal of the drive device of the elevator, from the series of samples taken a frequency component is determined that is characteristic to the part of the elevator assembly driven with the drive device, and also the operating condition of the part of the elevator assembly is monitored on the basis of the determined frequency component.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2013
    Publication date: January 30, 2014
    Applicant: KONE CORPORATION
    Inventors: Antti KALLIONIEMI, Tuukka KAUPPINEN
  • Publication number: 20140027208
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method and an elevator system in a building including a plurality of floor levels (1, 1?, 1?), at least one elevator door (3, 3?, 3?) and at least one building door (4, 4?, 4?, 5, 5?, 5?) and at least one elevator control (10) which controls at least one elevator drive (11) to move at least one elevator car (8), wherein an opening and/or closing of a building door (4, 4?, 4?, 5, 5?, 5?) causes at least one starting door signal (S1) to be generated and at least one elevator car (8) is ascertained for the starting door signal (S1).
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2013
    Publication date: January 30, 2014
    Inventor: Josef Schwarzentruber
  • Patent number: 8631908
    Abstract: An elevator system and associated method includes power control for operating an elevator (2) in an emergency mode wherein the elevator (2) includes a car (4), a drive motor (10), a motor drive unit (26) which supplies power to the drive motor (10) and controls the same and an emergency power supply (42). The motor drive unit (10) has a predetermined normal operation switching frequency. In an emergency mode, power is supplied to the motor from the emergency power supply (42) while the motor drive unit is in an emergency mode. An actual emergency operation condition characteristic is determined for setting the switching frequency of the motor drive unit (46) dependent on the actual emergency operation condition characteristic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2014
    Assignee: Otis Elevator Company
    Inventors: Helmut Schroeder-Brumloop, Marvin Dehmlow, Ingo Engelhard, Andreas Tutat
  • Publication number: 20140008152
    Abstract: An elevator installation includes a sensor by which vibrations generated during operation of the elevator installation are detectable and an evaluating circuit, which is connected with the sensor and by which the vibrations detected by the sensor can be evaluated. The detected vibrations can be compared by means of the evaluating circuit with a predeterminable operating value and a predeterminable threshold value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 14, 2012
    Publication date: January 9, 2014
    Applicant: INVENTIO AG
    Inventor: INVENTIO AG
  • Patent number: 8616339
    Abstract: There is provided an elevator control device that performs fire emergency operation based on a contact signal sent from a fire detector having a contact B, wherein even in the case where, for example, when the elevator is being installed, the contact signal sent from the fire detector cannot be used, the normal operation of elevator can be performed. For this purpose, the elevator control device includes an operation selection control section that causes the normal operation to be performed when a contact signal sent from the fire detector is received, and causes the fire emergency operation to be performed when the contact signal sent from the fire detector is cut off, and a function judgment section for judging, based on predetermined conditions, whether or not a fire emergency operation function of the elevator is valid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2013
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Takamasa Endo
  • Patent number: 8616338
    Abstract: Power distribution is managed in an elevator system including an elevator hoist motor (12), a primary power supply (20), and—an energy storage system (32). A predicted usage pattern for the hoist motor is established based on past hoist motor power demand in the elevator system or in similar elevator systems in similar buildings. A target storage state for the energy storage system is then set based on the predicted usage pattern. Power exchanged between the hoist motor, the primary power supply, and the energy storage system is controlled to address power demand of the hoist motor and to maintain the storage state of the energy storage system at about the target storage state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 31, 2013
    Assignee: Otis Elevator Company
    Inventors: William A. Veronesi, Stella M. Oggianu
  • Patent number: 8602170
    Abstract: An elevator drive for driving and holding an elevator car includes a traction wheel providing a driving and a holding force to the elevator car, a motor driving the traction wheel, a braking arrangement for holding the traction wheel, and a drive shaft connecting the traction wheel, the motor and the braking arrangement together. The braking arrangement includes at least two braking devices arranged, on opposite sides of the traction wheel on the drive shaft. A monitoring logic system ascertains whether an activated one of the braking devices alone can maintain the elevator car at standstill during a brief time the other of the one of the braking devices is released for issuing fault information to an elevator control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2013
    Assignee: Inventio AG
    Inventor: Daniel Fischer
  • Patent number: 8602172
    Abstract: A car-based running power computing mechanism computes running power values of each car in both cases including cases before and after a newly generated hall call is assigned. A car-based regenerative power computing mechanism computes regenerative power values of each car in the both cases. A car-based future running power computing mechanism computes future running power values of each car in the both cases. A car-based future regenerative power computing mechanism computes future regenerative power values of each car in the both cases. A car-based assigned total evaluation index computing mechanism obtains an in-travel power consumption value and an in-future-travel power consumption value based on the running power values, regenerative power values, future running power values, future regenerative power values and the like, to thereby compute assigned total evaluation indices of each car in the both cases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2013
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Naohiko Suzuki, Masafumi Iwata, Shingo Kobori, Sakurako Tokura, Yoshimasa Koba, Kouji Takeshima, Masayuki Mitsuda, Yoshinori Nonami
  • Patent number: 8602168
    Abstract: An elevator installation has a first cage pair a second cage pair, both movable in an elevator shaft. Cages of a cage pair can move simultaneously in opposite directions within the shaft. In the shaft is a change zone which allows the cages of the cage pair to change between sides of the shaft while in upward or downward motion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2013
    Assignee: Inventio AG
    Inventor: Reto Tschuppert
  • Patent number: 8584808
    Abstract: A control method implemented in a variable speed drive for controlling a lifting load, the load control being carried out according to a first control profile that includes the following: accelerating the load with a view to reaching a first speed, decelerating the load upon receiving a deceleration order, and stopping the load. When the load receives a deceleration order when it is at a current speed lower than the first speed, the method determines a second speed lower than the first speed and higher than the current speed, the second speed having an optimal value for minimizing the load running time until stopping.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2013
    Assignee: Schneider Toshiba Inverter Europe SAS
    Inventors: Francois Malrait, Stefan Capitaneanu
  • Patent number: 8584813
    Abstract: An elevator system includes at least one elevator serving at least one floor having a collective call panel and at least one second floor having a destination call panel. A plurality of views to be presented in a car panel are recorded in the elevator system, and a view to be presented in the car panel at any given time is selected based on the floor data of the elevator car.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2013
    Assignee: Kone Corporation
    Inventors: Tapani Talonen, Niko Rusanen, Vesa Poutiainen
  • Patent number: 8584810
    Abstract: In an elevator system, a destination call registration device converts operation key information corresponding to a pressed key into floor information by using building specification data. The destination call registration device generates a destination call registration request which includes the floor information converted from the operation key information and sends the destination call registration request to a group management control device. The group management control device registers the destination call for a destination floor indicated in the floor information. The group management control device sets building specification data and sends the building specification data to the respective destination call registration devices for conversion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2013
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Sakurako Tokura
  • Patent number: 8579089
    Abstract: A method for controlling an elevator installed in a building that includes an elevator car arranged to travel in a hoistway between floor landings that are at different heights, one or more ropings connected to the elevator car, a hoisting machine for moving the elevator car, and a control for control the hoisting machine is provided. In the method, the sway data of the building is determined, which data describes the strength of the sway of the building, and the starting position data of the elevator car is determined, which starting position data contains data about the starting position of the elevator car and/or data about how long the elevator car has been in the starting position, and the settings for the run speed of the next run are determined on the basis of the starting position data and the sway data. An elevator is configured to perform the method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2013
    Assignee: KONE Corporation
    Inventors: Tuomo Hakala, Sami Saarela, Jaakko Kalliomäki, Jarkko Saloranta
  • Patent number: 8579457
    Abstract: An escalator or moving walkway comprises a balustrade base, an illumination profile disposed in the base and a transparent cover through which illumination is provided. An illumination strip is located within the illumination profile, and has a plurality of LED lamps. A reflecting surface is provided on the illumination profile, and is aligned such that at least a portion of the light emitted by the LED lamps impinging upon the surface is reflected in the direction of the cover, facilitating an even level of illumination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 12, 2013
    Assignee: Inventio AG
    Inventors: Alexander Pfeiler, Cornelia Lawall, Josef Wiesinger, Lorenz Rebernik, Michael Berger, Michael Matheisl, Günter Steindl
  • Patent number: 8573364
    Abstract: An exemplary method of automatically addressing a plurality of fixtures in an elevator system includes establishing a shared communication link between a central controller and the plurality of fixtures. The method includes determining whether a selected elevator device operation is performed at a location of a fixture and enabling the corresponding fixture to receive initializing information, such as addressing information. The central controller broadcasts the initializing information over the communication link for automatically providing the initializing information to the enabled, corresponding fixture. By enabling only one fixture at a time, based on the selected elevator device operation, the central controller is able to accurately address each of the fixtures individually even though the initializing information is broadcast over the shared link.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: Otis Elevator Company
    Inventors: Ming Fang, QingQi Wu
  • Patent number: 8567569
    Abstract: An elevator group management system improving operational efficiency in consideration of a situation change that has occurred after a destination floor registration in a hall. An assigned car review mechanism executes assigned car review processing in units of review registration information sets each including at least one piece of provisionally assigned car registration information managed by a registered destination floor hall call management section during a review period. After ending the assigned car review processing, the assigned car review mechanism modifies the contents of the provisionally assigned car registration information in the registered destination floor hall call management section based on the contents of the review registration information set after modification. That is, the assigned car review mechanism newly registers the provisionally assigned car registration information after review and erases the provisionally assigned car registration information before review at the same time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2013
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Naohiko Suzuki, Masafumi Iwata, Shingo Kobori, Sakurako Tokura, Yoshimasa Koba, Kouji Takeshima, Masayuki Mitsuda, Yoshinori Nonami
  • Patent number: 8556042
    Abstract: The method of operating an elevator system in a building with at least one building door (2, 2?, 2?) includes through opening and/or closing the building door (2, 2?, 2?) the floor (1, 1?, 1?) of the opened and/or closed building door (2, 2?, 2?) is defined as the start floor and a destination call for an elevator car (7) to the start floor is actuated. As soon as the elevator car (7) has reached the start floor, an elevator door (3, 3?, 3?) of the start floor is opened. As soon as at least one user has entered the elevator car (7), the opened elevator door (3, 3?, 3?) is closed and the user is conveyed by the elevator car (7) to a destination floor, wherein the destination floor is defined by a destination call stored for a start floor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignees: Inventio AG, Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies
    Inventors: Bernhard Gerstenkorn, Kilian Schuster, Paul Friedli
  • Patent number: 8552738
    Abstract: A testing device for checking a safety circuit of an elevator apparatus includes at least one hardware-monitoring unit for monitoring at least one functionally relevant composite resistor in the safety circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2013
    Assignee: Inventio AG
    Inventor: Daniel Quinn
  • Patent number: 8550217
    Abstract: The invention relates to an elevator provided with a safety gear arrangement, the elevator including at least an elevator car arranged to travel back and forth substantially vertically along guide rails, at least two safety gear mechanisms disposed in conjunction with the elevator car and at least one speed limiter, which includes at least a speed limiter pulley, a diverting pulley and a speed limiter rope fitted as a loop around at least the speed limiter pulley and the diverting pulley, the speed limiter rope being connected at least to a first safety gear mechanism. A second safety gear mechanism has been arranged to be triggered after the triggering of the first safety gear mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2013
    Assignee: Kone Corporation
    Inventors: Petteri Valjus, Esko Aulanko
  • Patent number: 8544612
    Abstract: A conveyance system comprises at least one user interface having at least one service request pushbutton for providing service requests to the conveyance system. An identifier device is provided to a passenger. The identifier device stores identifier device data for determining a service profile of the identifier device. The identifier device data in the identifier device is read when a passenger presses or touches a service request pushbutton of the user interface. Based on the data read from the identifier device, the service profile of the identifier device is determined. A service request connected to the service request pushbutton is activated based on the service profile.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Assignee: KONE Corporation
    Inventors: Pekka Korhonen, Ilpo Haipus
  • Patent number: 8540057
    Abstract: An elevator system and a method for maintenance of such an elevator system include a device for receiving a plurality of sensor signals. The device is mounted on at least one elevator car or at least one counterweight of the elevator system. The device includes at least one processor and at least one computer-readable data store in at least one device housing. A first sensor for generating a sensor signal is a position sensor and/or a speed sensor and/or an acceleration sensor which is mounted in and/or on the device housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2013
    Assignee: Inventio AG
    Inventors: Kilian Schuster, Donato Carparelli
  • Patent number: 8534426
    Abstract: An elevator control system to govern elevator movement to avoid or minimize passenger discomfort caused by pressure changes associated with an elevator's movement and to optimize elevator operation. In one exemplary embodiment, the system uses the passenger's natural relief which occurs while the elevator car is stopped to reduce the pressure difference experienced by the passengers' ears as a factor to optimally control the operation of the elevator. In another example, the system obtains input regarding the traveling speed and conditions of the elevator system. This system then simulates individual trips for passengers that includes monitoring the pressure changes being experienced by passengers throughout the elevator's travels in order to ensure that the pressure differential level for each passenger remains below a designated maximum comfortable and safe level. This system uses the parameters of a successful simulation to govern the actual operation of the elevators.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2013
    Assignee: ThyssenKrupp Elevator Corporation
    Inventors: Rory Smith, Richard Peters
  • Patent number: 8525652
    Abstract: A lobby detection device 100 placed in a lobby reads out an ID of an elevator user 300 from an individual identification tag 400 and transmits the ID to an authentication device 600, the authentication device 600 registers the ID if the ID has not been registered and performs a call registration for an elevator car 500 after an authentication processing, a car detection device 200 inside of the elevator car 500 reads out the ID from the individual identification tag 400 and transmits the ID to the authentication device 600, and when the same ID as a registered ID that has been registered becomes no longer transmitted from the car detection device 200, the authentication device 600 deletes a registration of the registered ID after a specific time elapses, so that even when the ID is read out by the lobby detection device 100 in the lobby where the elevator user 300 lands on at the time the elevator user 300 leaves the elevator car 500, a call registration is not performed since the registration is held.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Nobukazu Takeuchi
  • Patent number: 8517149
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2013
    Assignee: Otis Elevator Company
    Inventors: Michael P. Flynn, Allen Patenaude, Randall Greenberg, Paul H. Ouellette, Lee A. Hornfischer, Dennis Hanvey, Greg Barnes, Vincent M. Maurino, Max P. Prinsen, Wade A. Montague, Jannah A. Stanley
  • Publication number: 20130206516
    Abstract: A rope of a lifting device, more particularly of a passenger transport elevator and/or freight transport elevator, an elevator, and a method for manufacturing the rope are disclosed. The rope includes an unbroken load-bearing part, the profile of which is essentially of rectangular shape, and the width of the cross-section is greater than the thickness and which load-bearing part comprises glass fiber reinforcements and/or aramid fiber reinforcements and/or carbon fiber reinforcements and/or polybenzoxazole fiber reinforcements and/or polyethylene fiber reinforcements and/or nylon fiber reinforcements in a polymer matrix material. The long sides of the cross-section of the load-bearing part include one or more grooves symmetrically or asymmetrically in the longitudinal direction of the rope, which grooves divide the load-bearing part into smaller parts.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2013
    Publication date: August 15, 2013
    Applicant: KONE CORPORATION
    Inventor: KONE Corporation
  • Patent number: 8505693
    Abstract: In an elevator system, an elevator-hall-call/destination-floor-call registration device provided at an elevator hall includes, besides a destination floor registration button such as a numeric keypad, etc. formed by buttons having respective numbers of 0 to 9 for registering a destination floor, a disabled person button declaring that a customer is a disabled person. For example, in the elevator-hall-call/destination-floor-call registration device, when the disabled person button is pressed and the destination floor call is inputted, a group management control device registers the destination floor call, and determines a car to be assigned for the destination floor call, rings a chime and further turns on a hall lantern corresponding to the determined assigned car. Like the above, the group management control device rings the chime and turns on the hall lantern only when the disabled person button is pressed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Yoshimasa Koba
  • Patent number: 8505692
    Abstract: Provided is an elevator system which can perform an optimum assignment suited to the operation condition of elevators and can appropriately notify a user of accurate information. For this purpose, there are provided a call registration device which registers a destination call before boarding and a notification device which provides elevator information. Normally, immediately after registration of a destination call, the notification device provides information on an assigned car. On the other hand, when a prescribed assignment review condition is met, immediately after registration of a destination call, the notification device provides information to the effect that the registration has been accepted, thereafter the assignment of the elevator is reviewed, and the notification device provides information on an assigned car when the elevator responds to the destination call.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: August 13, 2013
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Sakurako Tokura, Yoshimasa Koba, Koji Takeshima, Masayuki Mitsuda, Yoshinori Nonami, Masafumi Iwata, Naohiko Suzuki, Shingo Kobori
  • Patent number: 8496091
    Abstract: An elevator car layout information editing system 1000 includes a riding car display device 300 and a car layout information editing device 400. The riding car display device 300 stores at least one piece of car layout information showing planar layout of plural elevator cars at a transverse section of a building, displays the above car layout information, and as well carries out an editing process of the displayed car layout information according to an edition instructing signal to instruct the editing process of the above car layout information. The car layout information editing device 400 receives an editing operation for the above car layout information displayed by the riding car display device 300, generates the edition instructing signal to instruct the editing process corresponding to the received editing operation, and sends the generated edition instructing signal to the display device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2013
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Wei Wu
  • Patent number: 8490753
    Abstract: To alleviate the ear block discomfort of passengers without causing any undue reduction in the operational efficiency of an elevator. A travel distance calculating section 13 calculates a travel distance of a car room 1 based on destination floor information 12a and a car position command signal 3a, and output travel distance information 13a to a speed pattern generating section 14. The speed pattern generating section 14 compares the travel distance with a predetermined distance, generates a speed pattern 14a of a normal operation if the travel distance is short, and generates the speed pattern 14a of a partially low speed operation if the travel distance is long. The predetermined distance indicates a difference in height corresponding to a difference in air pressure that causes the Eustachian tube to open against ear block discomfort by a passenger. A speed control section 24 makes the car room 1 move up and down based on the speed pattern 14a.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2013
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Keigo Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 8485317
    Abstract: A method of controlling a lift installation with at least one lift car, at least one lift control and at least one mobile apparatus, and a control system for a controlling a lift installation. A reporting device near the lift installation receives at least one activation signal from a transmitting/receiving device of a mobile apparatus. The reporting device activates in response to the received activation signal. At least one network address of a recognition device of a lift control of the lift installation is transmitted from the activated reporting device to the transmitting/receiving device of the mobile apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2013
    Assignee: Inventio AG
    Inventors: Bernhard Gerstenkorn, Andreas Oyrer, Josef Langer
  • Publication number: 20130168191
    Abstract: An elevator system directs an elevator car to one or more particular floors based on a type of emergency that appears to be occurring in the car. The emergency is detected using one or more sensor units in or on the elevator car. The elevator system can direct the car to a floor that has equipment and/or personnel for handling the emergency.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 29, 2011
    Publication date: July 4, 2013
    Applicant: INVENTIO AG
    Inventor: Christopher Mason
  • Patent number: 8464840
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2013
    Assignee: Otis Elevator Company
    Inventors: Michael P. Flynn, Leslie Earl Grey, Jerrold C. Bloom
  • Patent number: 8463462
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided that may he useful for testing braking systems for use in, for example, an aircraft. A system is disclosed that allows for built in testing. For example, a method if provided comprising sending, from a brake controller, a test command set to at least one of an electromechanical actuator (EMAC) and a brake servo valve (BSV) in response to a landing gear retraction, receiving, at the brake controller, feedback from the at least one of the EMAC and the BSV in response to the test command set, and comparing, at the brake controller, the feedback with a predetermined signature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: Goodrich Corporation
    Inventor: Eric D. Cahill
  • Patent number: 8443944
    Abstract: The monitoring method for an elevator installation includes a control unit and at least one bus junction, which bus junction has a receiver, a transmitter and a safety element. The control unit and the bus junction communicate by way of a bus. The monitoring method has the following steps: a digital default signal is transmitted by the control unit to the receiver; the digital default signal is converted by the receiver into an analog signal; the safety element is acted on by the receiver with the analog signal; if the safety element is closed the analog signal is detected by the transmitter; for a detected analog signal, a digital signal of the control unit is provided by the transmitter; wherein on detection of an analog zero signal a digital signal is transmitted by the transmitter to the control unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2013
    Assignee: Inventio AG
    Inventors: Astrid Sonnenmoser, Kurt Heinz
  • Patent number: 8439167
    Abstract: Lift system (10) with a lower lift cage (K1), an upper lift cage (K2), at least one counterweight (12), and support means (TA, TB) for supporting the lower and upper lift cages (K1, K2). The support means (TB) for supporting the lower lift cage (K1) are led downwardly in the lift shaft (11) laterally along the upper lift cage (K2). Drive means for driving the lower and upper lift cages (K1, K2) are present. Arranged at the upper lift cage (K2) is a first incremental transmitter (I1) which interacts with one of the support means (TB) and supplies information about a change in the spacing (D) between the lower and upper lift cages (K1, K2).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: Inventio AG
    Inventors: Hans Kocher, Jan André Wurzbacher
  • Patent number: 8439169
    Abstract: An elevator group supervision controlling apparatus has a response time predicting means, a passenger movement estimating means, a standby time predicting means, a candidate car selecting means, an allocating means, and an instructing means. The response time predicting means predicts response time to a car call from a remote call registering apparatus for respective cars. The passenger movement estimating means estimates passenger moving time based on a positional relationship between the remote call registering apparatus and a landing. The standby time predicting means predicts the standby times of each of the cars based on the response time and the passenger moving time. The candidate car selecting means includes cars for which standby time is shorter than a predetermined time interval in candidate cars, and excludes cars for which standby time is greater than or equal to the predetermined time interval from the candidate cars.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2013
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Mitsutoshi Iio, Shiro Hikita
  • Patent number: 8430212
    Abstract: An elevator apparatus includes a safety circuit section including a plurality of abnormality detection units, a safety control device, failure detection unit, and circuit changeover unit. The safety control device controls electric power supply to a driving device and a brake device in accordance with a content of an abnormality detected by the abnormality detection units. The failure detection unit detects a failure of the safety control device. When the failure of the safety control device is detected, the circuit changeover unit forms a failure-time circuit in which the electric power supply to the driving device and the brake device is interrupted directly by the abnormality detection unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2013
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Takaharu Ueda, Satoru Takahashi