Otis Elevator Company

Barry G Blackaby

Timothy M Remmers

William Aldis Wurts

Joseph J Barna

Richard N Fargo

Gerard Sirigu

Gary M Meguerdichian

Helmut Schr&ouml;der-Brumloop

Bruce P Swaybill

Leandre Adifon

Theresa M Christy

Bruce St Pierre

Peter Keyo

Jesse R Richter

Kathryn Rauss Sherrick

Daniel B Davis, Iii

Christopher H Koenig

Gary P Mendrala

Gregory M O'Seep

John Eschenbrenner

Brian F Beloin

Joseph L Della Porta

James Richard Bolch

Michael E Dickinson

Disclosed is a method of retrofitting a legacy hoist machine including: attaching a primary brake assembly to an end surface of a machine shaft, and configuring a controller to: control the primary brake assembly to provide service braking; and control a brake drum assembly as a secondary brake assembly to thereby apply emergency braking.

Retrofitted hoist machine

A belt for suspending and/or driving an elevator system component include one or more metallic cord tension elements extending along a length of the belt, and one or more non-metallic tension elements extending along a length of the belt. Each non-metallic tension element is formed from a non-metallic material. The one or more metallic cord tension elements and the one or more non-metallic tension elements are arrayed laterally across a lateral width of the belt. The belt may be used in an elevator system including a hoistway, a drive machine having a traction sheave coupled thereto, an elevator car movable within the hoistway. The belt is operably connected to the elevator car and interactive with the traction sheave to suspend and/or drive the elevator car along the hoistway.

Elevator system suspension member

A system and method for controlling speed of an elevator car in an elevator system is disclosed. The elevator car may have a speed governor adapted to trip when an electrical tripping point of the speed governor is reached. The elevator system may also have a control system for controlling operation of the elevator car, the control system providing a speed reducing switch adapted to trip when a software tripping point of the speed reducing switch is reached, the software tripping point being reached before the electrical tripping point of the speed governor.

Controlling speed of an elevator using a speed reducing switch and governor

A single support device () is adapted to support and secure a machine () at least one sheave () and a plurality of termination members (). The single support device () is conveniently installed within a hoistway () or within a machine room (). The machine () and sheave () may be premounted to the support device () and the entire assembly can be lowered into position by crane ().

Integrated support for elevator machine, sheaves and terminations

An elevator system () includes a transceiver () that receives at least one wirelessly transmitted signal (). In one example, a signaling device () includes a plurality of switches () that can be activated to provide a signal indicating a desired or intended destination. The signal also provides an indication of the individual from whom the signal is received. A system controller () responds to the signal by assigning an elevator car () to travel to the intended destination. When the elevator car () is situated to receive the individual, in the event that another wireless signal is received, the system provides at least one access feature including delaying closing an elevator car door or generating an audible sound to guide the individual to the car. In one example, the system maintains information regarding expected locations of individuals providing such signals to facilitate providing assistance to them for exiting a building, for example.

Elevator system control providing specialized service features and individual location information

Elevator system control providing specialized service features to facilitate a passenger accessing an assigned elevator car

A wireless communications system for use with an elevator system in a building includes a first transceiver connected to an elevator controller and a second transceiver located remotely within the building. The first and second transceivers each have antennas which allow wireless transmission of data between the transceivers. A building monitoring center is hard-wired to the second transceiver to allow personnel to monitor and interact with each elevator controller. A third transceiver and antenna are located outside of the building and are connected to a central monitoring station to allow remote monitoring and interaction with each elevator controller. The wireless communications system can be used with a network of elevators where each elevator has a unique electronic address to allow discreet wireless communications with a specific elevator.

System for remotely communicating voice and data to and from an elevator controller

An elevator system includes a mounting device that facilitates more readily installing guide rails within a hoistway and supporting the elevator cab and counterweight on the same rails. A plurality of mounting devices are used along the length of the hoistway. Each mounting device includes a first mounting bracket that preferably is secured directly to a selected wall within the hoistway. A second mounting bracket is secured to the first mounting bracket. The position of the second mounting bracket relative to the first is selectively adjusted. The second mounting bracket includes support portions for supporting the guide rails within the hoistway. The support portions on the second bracket have a fixed distance between them to facilitate maintaining an accurate distance between the guide rails throughout the hoistway.

Elevator guide rail mounting assembly

An elevator rescue system provides rescue signals from a remote control station. The rescue signals typically operate a release mechanism such as the brake to allow the elevator to move to an appropriate door zone. The rescue signals are preferably sent from a remote control station such as may typically monitor a number of elevators. Essentially, the rescue signal is initiated when the remote control station receives a signal from the elevator monitoring system that a particular elevator is likely to have trapped passengers. As an initial step, the remote control station ensures there is no safety reason not to move the elevator, and then remotely commands operation of an elevator component that allows the elevator cab to move.

Remote rescue of trapped elevator passengers

An elevator rescue system includes a power source of back-up electrical power. A manually-operated, rescue enable switch switchably permits the transmission of electrical power from the power source to a motor brake coil of an elevator car during a rescue operation such that the energized coil releases the motor brake to move the car to a desired landing. A speed detector measures the speed of the elevator car and thereupon generates a speed control signal corresponding to the speed of the car. An overspeed detection circuit has a first input for being actuated when receiving electrical power from the power source, a second input for receiving the speed control signal, and an output for transmitting electrical power to the motor brake coil when the speed control signal is below a predetermined value and for automatically stopping the transmission of electrical power when the speed control signal becomes higher than a predetermined value. A manually-operated brake release switch has an input and an output. The input is coupled to the output of the overspeed detection circuit, and the output is to be coupled to the motor brake coil of the elevator car for transmitting electrical power to release the motor brake when the brake release switch is closed.

Elevator rescue system

To sense the level of light in the passenger compartment 7 of an elevator cab 8, light at the proximal end of an optical fiber 4 is monitored by an optical detector 25 feeding a variable voltage divider 18, which allows setting a trip point at a desired level of light within the passenger compartment, thereby providing a signal indicating whether the light is adequate or not to a remote elevator monitoring apparatus 23. The trip point may be selected on installation by adjusting a potentiometer while watching an optical indication 17 of reaching the trip point, or it may be determined by software routines.

Remote monitoring of elevator cab lights

A method which provides for level monitoring of an elevator car within a hoistway at a plurality of floors by providing a plurality of sensed signals which is indicative of an elevator position of the elevator car relative to a plurality of targets having a plurality of light absorptive surfaces and a plurality of light interactive regions, the plurality of targets mounted within the hoistway at the plurality of floors. The plurality of sensed signals is processed to provide a leveling variable, a floor number variable and a direction of travel variable which indicate a direction of travel of the elevator car within the hoistway. The leveling variable, floor number variable and direction of travel variable are stored at a remote elevator monitoring central processor.

Method for monitoring elevator leveling performance with improved

A master data processor (18) may send data indicative of equipment condition through a modem (24) to a modem (26) of a data processor (28) in a local monitoring center (over telephone lines) whenever they occur in response to a seize mode (59) or between established times of day (64, 68, 69), or whenever the telephone line becomes free (65)if the data messages amount to alarm conditions (65). Calls can be received at the local monitoring center 14 between said preestablished times (79-82) after a predetermined number of rings (83, 85).

Growing community of inventors

Simsbury, CT, United States of America

Barry G Blackaby