Having Specific Force Transmitting Connection For Counterweight Or Load Support Patents (Class 187/411)
  • Patent number: 6318504
    Abstract: A synthetic fiber rope having load-bearing aramide fiber strands laid together in parallel in concentric layers of strands and an intersheath with sheath surfaces adapted to the external contours of the adjacent layers of strands. By positively bonding the inner and outer layers of strands a higher torsional rigidity is achieved as well as a rope structure of the stranded rope which is less susceptible to twisting. Furthermore, the elastic intersheath between the layers of stands serves to protect the strands against abrasion and assists in transmitting torque within the rope over a large area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2001
    Assignee: Inventio AG
    Inventor: Claudio De Angelis
  • Patent number: 6315084
    Abstract: In the conventional elevator, there arise problems that there is no apparatus capable of reducing only radio-frequency components according to the characteristics of the rubber isolator and dealing with vertical vibration of the entire car, although it is possible to reduce the vibration descending along the rope while passing through the rubber isolator at the lower portion of the car.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2001
    Assignee: Otis Elevator Company
    Inventor: Hye Yeon Shon
  • Patent number: 6234276
    Abstract: An elevator including a cage configured to ascend and descend in an elevator shaft along a cage guide rail, a counterweight configured to ascend and descend in the elevator shaft along a counterweight guide rail, a cable configured to hang and connect the cage and the counterweight, a drive unit configured to drive the cage and the counterweight by providing motive power for the cable, and a cable hitch mounted on the cage guide rail or the counterweight guide rail and configured to secure one end of the cable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2001
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Yasuyuki Wagatsuma, Kazuaki Miyakoshi
  • Patent number: 6164053
    Abstract: A hoist rope for an elevator is formed from synthetic, non-metallic materials. The hoist rope includes a plurality of load-carrying strands with each strand encased within a coating layer. The coating layers provide protection against wear and provide sufficient lubricity to permit relative movement of the strands to equalize loading on the strands. The plurality of strands are surrounded by a jacket. The jacket provides sufficient traction with a traction sheave, transfers traction loads to the strands while permitting movement of the strands, and provides a flame retardant characteristic to the hoist rope. In one embodiment of an passenger conveyor system, the hoist rope is engaged with a traction sheave having a sheave liner. The material for the jacket and sheave liner are selected to optimize the coefficient of friction between the hoist rope and traction sheave.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 1999
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2000
    Assignee: Otis Elevator Company
    Inventors: Hugh J. O'Donnell, Eric G. Olsen
  • Patent number: 6138799
    Abstract: An elevator system includes a counterweight-drive assembly (26) having a motor (32) and drive pulley (36) mounted internally to engage a drive belt (42) for climbing or descending with respect thereto, resulting in raising or lowering of an elevator car (12) coupled to said counterweight-drive assembly (26).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2000
    Assignee: Otis Elevator Company
    Inventors: Helmut Schroder-Brumloop, Jean Marc Ferrary, Armando Servia, Pascal Rebillard, Richard J. Ericson
  • Patent number: 6098759
    Abstract: A hydraulic elevator having a hydraulic jack which acts directly on the elevator car. To reduce the amount of building work associated with this elevator concept, the hydraulic jack projects through the car floor into the car. The jack and the car are fastened together at the car floor by a supporting plate attached to the jack cylinder. If the jack is fitted with a mechanical synchronization device, the ends of the ropes or chains which until now have been fastened to the building also pass upwards through the car to a crossbeam to which they are fastened.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2000
    Assignee: Inventio AG
    Inventors: Eileen W. Rossman, Karl B. Orndorff, Scott C. Conrey
  • Patent number: 6085874
    Abstract: An elevator system includes a counterweight assembly having a plurality of drive machines having integrally formed drive wheels adapted to frictionally engaged a guide rail for driving the counterweight assembly along the guide rail to effect movement of an elevator car.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2000
    Assignee: Otis Elevator Company
    Inventors: Yasunobu Uchino, Kenji Nakagawa, Hirofumi Yuda, Masaharu Ueda, Yasuhisa Shioda, Takayuki Nagashima
  • Patent number: 6068087
    Abstract: An elevator system includes a counterweight-drive assembly (24) having a motor and drive pulley (26) mounted thereon to engage a belt (16) for climbing or descending with respect thereto, resulting in raising or lowering of an elevator car (12) coupled to said counterweight-drive assembly (26) via the same belt (16).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2000
    Assignee: Otis Elevator Company
    Inventor: Ray Moncini
  • Patent number: 6065569
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2000
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventor: James W. Fuller
  • Patent number: 6062344
    Abstract: In an elevator system, first and second car carrying bases move up and down along first and second segments of a hoistway, respectively. First and second support members are located on the first and second car carrying bases, respectively. A car is moved up and down within the hoistway while being selectively supported by the first or second car carrying base. The first and second car carrying bases are arranged so as not to overlap each other when projected on a horizontal plane. Each car support member can shuttle between a support position and a nonsupport position, the support position being a position at which the car support member supports the car by projecting into a moving path of the car and the nonsupport position being a position at which the car support member is retracted from and is outside of the moving path of the car.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2000
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Sueo Okabe, Toshiaki Ishii
  • Patent number: 6021873
    Abstract: A procedure and apparatus for the measurement of elevator load uses a load measuring apparatus. The elevator comprises an elevator car (17) travelling along guide rails (2) in an elevator shaft, a counter-weight (20), a hoisting machinery (18, 19), a control unit, and hoisting ropes (11) attached at least by one end to an anchorage (21) in the elevator shaft. The load measuring apparatus (16) comprises a strain gauge (15) which outputs an electric signal corresponding to the load. The load measuring apparatus (16) is attached in conjunction with the anchorage (21) of the hoisting rope ends to a fixed place in the elevator shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 1997
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2000
    Assignee: Kone Oy
    Inventors: Esko Aulanko, Harri Hakala, Jorma Mustalahti
  • Patent number: 5950771
    Abstract: An elevator system includes an elevator car with a plurality of roller guide assemblies attached thereto. The roller guide assemblies guide the elevator car vertically within a hoistway along a plurality of guide rails. Each roller guide assembly includes a friction damping subassembly to minimize vibration and lateral movement of the elevator car. The friction damping subassembly includes a grounding bar and a friction damper attaching onto a shaft of each roller in the roller guide assembly. The friction damping subassembly dissipates energy and improves the ride quality of the elevator car.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 14, 1999
    Assignee: Otis Elevator Company
    Inventors: John J. Ferrisi, Akihiro Hasegawa, James A. Rivera, Bruce P. Swaybill
  • Patent number: 5947232
    Abstract: An apparatus is provided for preventing sway of elevator ropes (7). The apparatus comprises a swing arm (2) positioned within a hoistway (6) of an elevator. The swing arm is movable between a first position and a second position wherein the swing arm is in proximity with the ropes in the first position and the ropes contact the swing arm thereby reducing sway and wherein the swing arm is positioned outside of the path of an elevator car (8) in a second position. An embodiment includes a sheath (21) having tapered ends (22, 23) mounted to the end of the swing arm to facilitate the movement of the swing arm through the plurality of ropes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 7, 1999
    Assignee: Otis Elevator Company
    Inventors: Boris G. Traktovenko, Peter O. Erlandsen
  • Patent number: 5881845
    Abstract: A protective device for an elevator system extends about a rope and extends upward from an elevator car. The protective device blocks contact with the portion of the rope enclosed by the device. As a result, the risk of damage to the ropes caused by a person, such as a mechanic, who is present on the top of the car, is minimized. The invention is particularly advantageous for synthetic ropes that are subject to damage due to contact with abrasive objects or solvents. In one embodiment, the protective device is a tubular structure formed from a rigid, abrasion resistant material. In other embodiments, the protective device is a sheath formed from an abrasion resistant, woven fiber material that extends about the rope.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 16, 1999
    Assignee: Otis Elevator Comany
    Inventors: Hugh J. O'Donnell, Eric G. Olsen, Randy G. Henley
  • Patent number: 5862888
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 1996
    Date of Patent: January 26, 1999
    Assignee: Otis Elevator Company
    Inventors: Atsushi Iwakiri, Nobuyuki Miyahara
  • Patent number: 5855254
    Abstract: Cable-clamping device for a synthetic fiber cable. A cable-clamping device for highly loaded synthetic fiber cables for elevator installations, wherein the cables can tolerate only small lateral pressures, the device including at least one retaining drum firmly connected with the elevator car and the elevator counterweight, with the retaining drum having several adjacent cable grooves, whose groove courses end or run out adjacently to the other for the running-off of the cables, with the cable grooves becoming progressively narrower in their cross-section starting at the entry of the loaded cable, with up to four and more retaining drums being arranged, one behind and beside the other, in this manner, wherein the run-off regions of the cable grooves point towards one another in order to avoid a fanning-out of the cables in front of the drive pulley.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 1995
    Date of Patent: January 5, 1999
    Assignee: Inventio AG
    Inventor: Hans G. Blochle
  • Patent number: 5750945
    Abstract: An elevator motion control system compares a dictated flight path signal (101), indicative of a desired elevator flight path along a nominal flight trajectory, with a measured flight path signal (108), indicative of actual elevator motion, and provides a motion command signal (115) to both a high pass filter (117) and a low pass filter (116) such that the frequency of the motion command signal is split into high and low frequency components (141,118). An active elevator hitch (36) is used to implement the high frequency/low stroke portion of the motion command signal while the elevator motor (28) is used to implement the low frequency/high stroke portion of the motion command signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 1996
    Date of Patent: May 12, 1998
    Assignee: Otis Elevator Company
    Inventors: James W. Fuller, Randall K. Roberts
  • Patent number: 5641041
    Abstract: A vibration-damping device is interposed between a carriage and a lifting rope. The vibration-damping device comprises a spring extended in a compressed state between a spring shoe on the lifting rope side and a spring shoe on the carriage side located above the first-mentioned spring shoe, and a damper extended between the spring shoe on the lifting rope side and the spring shoe on the carriage side, and upper and lower ends of the damper are pivotally mounted on the spring shoe on the lifting rope side and the spring shoe on the carriage side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 1995
    Date of Patent: June 24, 1997
    Assignee: Murata Kikai Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Junichi Masuda, Yoshihiro Hata
  • Patent number: 5625174
    Abstract: A linear motor elevator includes a linear motor that is permitted motion within the hoistway. The linear motor is mounted in a manner permitting motion of the entire linear motor, including stator, through the hoistway. As a result, the length of the hoistway and the run of the elevator may extend beyond the length of the stator. In a particular embodiment, the linear motor is connected to a car in a configuration permitting the car to travel at approximately twice the speed of the linear motor within the hoistway. The moving element of the linear motor is connected to the car to permit the car and moving element to travel at the same speed relative to the hoistway. As a result, the moving element moves relative to the stator at half the speed of the car speed and the height of the hoistway may be approximately double the height of the stator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 1994
    Date of Patent: April 29, 1997
    Assignee: Otis Elevator Company
    Inventors: Hideki Ito, Makoto Yoshihara
  • Patent number: 5564530
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 1994
    Date of Patent: October 15, 1996
    Assignee: Otis Elevator Company
    Inventors: Atsushi Iwakiri, Masao Iwasa
  • Patent number: 5547059
    Abstract: A linear motor elevator system comprising a sheave disposed in the upper portion of an elevator hoistway, a length of rope wound around the sheave, a movable member connected to said rope, a primary winding disposed only on a first side of said movable member and a secondary conductor extending within and along the hoistway in association with said primary winding to constitute a linear motor. The system may comprise a brake unit disposed on a second side of said movable member which is opposite to said first side and a guide rail disposed within said hoistway for being engaged by said brake unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 1994
    Date of Patent: August 20, 1996
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Eiki Watanabe, Toshiaki Ishii, Masamoto Mizuno, Kazuhiko Sugita
  • Patent number: 5375682
    Abstract: An elevator system for conveying persons and/or loads has at least two elevators arranged in separate elevator shafts immediately next to each other. The counterweights of at least two elevators are arranged in one elevator shaft and the elevator in the other elevator shaft has a size which is adapted to the cross-sectional area of the elevator shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 1993
    Date of Patent: December 27, 1994
    Inventor: Michael Gopner