Otis Elevator Company

Etienne Billant

Frederic Beauchaud

Jean-Emile Rocher

Guillaume Trouvain

Joachim Angoulevant

An elevator car including: a door; and an apron movable between a deployed position and a retracted position; wherein in the deployed position the apron hangs below the door; wherein in the retracted position the apron is vertically overlapped with the door; and wherein in the retracted position the apron is engaged with the door such that it is movable sideways together with the door. As the apron is displaced upwards relative to the elevator car it will block the doorway. However, as the apron is engaged with the door in the retracted position, opening the door also moves the apron out of the way of the doorway so that the apron does not hinder passengers from using the elevator car.

Elevator apron

Elevator systems including an elevator car having a car door sill and car apron assembly movable along an elevator shaft having a pit floor, are provided. The car apron assembly includes a collapsible guard with at least one guard element that is moveable from a deployed state to a compressed state. In the compressed state the at least one guard element is positioned within the car door sill. A guard frame is fixedly connected to the at least one guard element by one or more reinforcement elements, a translating member is arranged at each end of the guard frame, and a guide member fixedly connected to the elevator car. The collapsible guard is urged from the deployed state toward the compressed state as the guard element contacts the pit floor, and when transitioning from the deployed state to the compressed state, the translating member translates along the guide member.

Growing community of inventors

Coullons, France

Etienne Billant