Otis Elevator Company

Other

Frank M Sansevero

Richard N Fargo

James A Rivera

Gerald E Johnson

Dat T Nguyen

Harold Terry

Jared Alden Judson

Thomas Swyst

Gregg Robert Draudt

Bernward Engelke

Arthur Hsu

Ralph S Stripling

Harry Terry

Carla Majuntke

Gordon Row

Andreas Stuffel

Theresa M Christy

Willy Adrian

Zuhair S Bahjat

Uwe Hauer

Bruce St Pierre

Gerald Wente

Dietmar Thaler

Daniel Rush

Dale R Barrett

Richard K Pulling

Peter Borchers

Klaus Seehausen

Qingdong Richard Jiang

Ruoming Tian

David Jarvis

Kate Schreiber

Daniel Stillion

John M Milton-Benoit

Boris G Traktovenko

John T Pitts

Helmut J Meyer

Hansoo Shim

Alexander Mueller

Ronald R Laliberte

Yanying Chen

John J Ferrisi

Greg A Schienda

Chester J Slabinski

Charles S Darling

Andreas Vogt

Ingo Engelhard

Cheong SikShin

Steven M Skolnick

Dave Jarvis

David Sirag

Peter Von Riegen

Markus Hame

R Zimmerman

Ronald Laliberte

John Stofira

A Phillip Winey

Knut Wallbaum

Scott Ashworth

J&ouml;rg Ostermeier

Markus Müller

Rob Hammell

Alexander Bellendir

Olaf Märker

Hermann Wiese

Carsten Deseniss

Arther Hsu

Daniel James Stillion

Kate M Schreiber

Richard Fargot

An escalator system with vertical step risers and side flanges includes a plurality of escalator steps, at least one varying length drive mechanism, a first decking, and a second decking. Each of the plurality of escalator steps includes an elongated step body, a first step mounted angled flange, and a second step mounted angled flange. The elongated step body transports passengers along the escalator path. The first step mounted angled flange and the second step mounted angled flange connect to form continuous barriers that prevent entrapment of objects between the moving steps and stationary panels. The at least one varying length drive mechanism prevents horizontal movement between each of the plurality of escalator steps traveling along the passenger side, thereby preventing entrapment of objects between adjacent steps. The first decking and the second decking partially cover the first step mounted angled flange and the second step mounted angled flange.

Escalator system with vertical step risers and step-mounted angled side flanges

A hydraulic elevator system does not include a machine room but does include an access panel that allows at least a control valve and controller to be accessible from outside of the hoistway while the control valve and controller remain in the hoistway. An exemplary elevator system includes a hoistway. An elevator car is supported within the hoistway. The hydraulic cylinder is associated with the elevator car for selectively moving the elevator car. A reservoir is within the hoistway. The reservoir is configured to contain fluid for selectively causing extension of the cylinder. A control valve within the hoistway controls communication of the fluid between the reservoir and the cylinder. A controller within the hoistway controls movement of the elevator car. An access panel is on one side of the hoistway for selectively closing and opening into the hoistway near the control value and the controller. The opening provides access to at least the control valve and the controller from outside of the hoistway.

Machine roomless hydraulic elevator system

A pitless elevator system removes a car buffer and machine, and other components where so equipped from under the elevator car such that the elevator car can be operated to a clearance between it and a floor of a hoistway of about three inches. The machine may be mounted on board the car or may be located elsewhere and the car buffer located in normal side clearance space. The system further provides a retractable toe guard to allow the car to bottom at the indicated distance from the floor. The system facilitates retrofit applications of elevators without the prior art drawback of digging a pit.

Retractable toe guard

An elevator system () includes multiple elevator cars () within a hoistway (). Counterweights () are associated with the respective elevator cars () by load bearing members (). In some examples, different roping ratios are used for the load bearing members (). In some examples, the lengths of the load bearing members () are selected to allow contact between the counterweights () within the hoistway () and prevent contact between the elevator cars (). The difference in car and counterweight separation distances is greater than a stroke of a counterweight buffer plus an expected dynamic jump of the elevator cars. A disclosed example includes passages () through a portion of at least one of the elevator cars () for accommodating the load bearing member () of another elevator car () located beneath the elevator car () with the passages ().

Elevator system with multiple cars in a hoistway

A display device () for use with a passenger conveyor () provides a traffic flow direction indicator and visible maintenance information. One example includes a display panel () supported on a surface () that is conveniently positioned between a handrail () and a landing (). In one example, a single display panel () alternatively provides the traffic flow direction indicator or the maintenance information. In another example a first display panel () and a second display panel () are supported on a plate () that is selectively moveable into different positions, depending on which display panel should be visible. One example includes a remote signaling device () that allows an individual to control the information shown on the display device ().

Combined traffic flow and maintenance information display for a passenger conveyor

Elevator hall call devices have a programmable touch screen which can be programmed to display (a) ten-key destination call buttons, (b) up hall call and down hall call buttons, or (c) N-key destination buttons, as well as buttons which identify utilization of major floors of the building, including functions such as cafeteria, sky lobby, parking, public transport, and lobby, as well as tenants. A controller programs the touch screen in dependence on (d) traffic volume, (e) time of day, (f) floor of the building where the touch screen is disposed or (g) identity of a particular passenger (VIP) in the vicinity of a touch screen.

Elevator hall call system including a programmable adaptable touch screen

An elevator system includes multiple cars within a hoistway. Parking positions are provided outside the range of passenger service levels. A destination entry strategy is used by a controller for directing movement of the elevator cars. The inventive combination of multiple cars in a hoistway, parking positions outside of the normal passenger service level range and destination entry car movement control allows for reducing car travel speed, reducing car size or both while still meeting desired handling capacity needs or even exceeding the desired handling capacity associated with another elevator system that requires larger cars, higher speeds and more building space.

Elevator system including multiple cars in a hoistway destination entry control and parking positions

A conveyor passenger interface system includes a passenger reception area () having a mechanism () for receiving a voice request from a passenger. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the voice request receiving mechanism () is a sound dome. The system further includes a device () responsive to the voice request for identifying a conveyor for transporting the passenger to a desired location and for identifying the conveyor to the passenger. The system of the present invention has utility in elevator systems as well as other transportation systems.

Conveyor passenger interface system

An elevator system () includes a hoistway () having a plurality of cars () traveling therein, the hoistway includes a steel tape (), each car having two tape readers () which feed corresponding position detectors () to provide independent position signals (). A group controller () assigns calls in a fashion to avoid collisions. Controllers () for each car communicate with each other and when deemed necessary, either lower the speed, acceleration, deceleration of one or both of the cars, or stop (with or without reversing) one or both of the cars. Independent processors () will drop the brake () of either or both cars if they come within a first distance of each other, or will engage the safeties () of either or both cars if they come within a lesser distance of each other.

Collison prevention in hoistway with two elevator cars

One of a plurality of cars () traveling in a hoistway () of an elevator system () may be diverted to the hoistway overhead () or pit () to enable another of the cars to gain access to a floor near or at a terminal floor (). When such car is at its last stop with doors open, visual () and audible () indicators present () messages to the effect that this is the last stop and passengers should exit. After car doors are closed (), visual and audible messages () relate to the car going to the pit or overhead and that passengers may push any button (to reopen doors). Thereafter, the car moves () to the overhead () or the pit () and presents () visual and audible messages to the effect that passengers did not exit at the correct floor and must wait while the other car makes a stop. Once the terminal floor is clear, the diverted car will run (-) to that floor, presenting () visual and audible messages to the effect that passengers should exit once the doors are open and reenter their service requests.

Communicating to elevator passengers re car movement to pit or overhead

An elevator system () includes multiple cars () within a hoistway (). Parking positions () are provided outside the range of passenger service levels (). A destination entry strategy is used by a controller () for directing movement of the elevator cars (). The inventive combination of multiple cars in a hoistway, parking positions outside of the normal passenger service level range and destination entry car movement control allows for reducing car travel speed, reducing car size or both while still meeting desired handling capacity needs or even exceeding the desired handling capacity associated with another elevator system that requires larger cars, higher speeds and more building space.

Elevator system including multiple cars in a hoistway, destination entry control and parking positions

People mover () comprising an endless tread belt () formed from several tread elements () connected to one another, which is driven by a drive unit about a first and second reversal point (), and a side skirt () moved along with tread belt (), the side skirt () comprising flange elements () joined to the tread element () and bridge elements () connected movably relative to flange elements (). A sensor () is arranged adjacent to the side skirt (), the sensor () having a limited detection range perpendicular to the circulation direction of side skirt (), and a plurality of marking elements are arranged in a line on side skirt () along the circulating direction having a limited width perpendicular to the circulating direction.

Safety monitoring system for a people conveyor

An escalator drive assembly () includes a sensor that facilitates detecting when the normal drive assembly operation is interrupted, such that a brake should be activated. In one example, a sensor member () in the form of a flange () is associated with a drive pulley () and normally rotates in unison with the drive pulley. When there is a failure in the normal operation of the drive mechanism, however, there is a resulting relative movement between the sensor member () and the drive pulley (). Such relative motion preferably activates a switch () that provides a signal that indicates a failure of the normal operation of the drive mechanism (). Another example sensor includes a sensor member () that engages a drive belt (). If the belt () breaks, the sensor member () moves to provide an indication of the broken belt condition. Various braking application modes are possible using the invention.

Escalator drive system failure detection and brake activation

Comb plate () for a passenger conveyor () with a conveyor band and a moving flange a number of teeth () arranged on it essentially parallel to one another across the width of the conveyor band, which mesh in use with grooves () provided on the upper surface of the conveyor band characterised by a deflector guard () which is arranged at the lateral edge of the comb plate () and extends a certain height above the upper surface of the comb plate ().

Comb plate for passenger conveyor with moving flange

A plurality of hoistways () in a building serving a plurality of floors utilizes destination call entry panels (A) having buttons () with which passengers can enter destination call requests. A display () adjacent the request buttons provides an indication of the car that is assigned to answer the passenger's request by a controller (), which indication is also presented on illuminatable signs (-), utilizing either colors, letters or other easily identifiable and rememberable indications. As the car assigned to the call approaches the landing upon which the call was made, an illuminatable sign, adjacent the hoistway of the assigned car, will present the same color or indicia as was presented to the passenger upon entering the passenger's desired destination; the controller does not announce approaching cars that are not assigned a call at that landing.

Elevator call assignment indications for multiple elevators in each of a plurality of elevator hoistways

Growing community of inventors

Glastonbury, CT, United States of America

Frank M Sansevero