Otis Elevator Company

Jean-Noel Cloux

Peter L Herkel

Jean-Pierre Pougny

Pascal Rebillard

Nicolas Fonteneau

Dirk Heinrich Tegtmeier

Andres Monzon

Frédéric Beauchaud

Gérard Sirigu

Thomas Coquerelle

Michel Beeuwsaert

David Pillin

Fernando Del Rio

Olivier Stanislas Dukacz

Alain Simonot

Dominique Goulet

Jean-Pierre Menard

Alan Matthew Finn

Leandre Adifon

Pedro S Baranda

Bruce St Pierre

Helmut L Schroder-Brumloop

Armando Servia

Hans-Kilian Josef Spielbauer

Franck J Det

Jacobus Benjamin Legez

Fernando Rico

Masashi Kawarasaki

Hugues Fanielle

Marc Frederic Chevilliard

Raphael Picard

Florence Picard

Frank W Adams

Yutaka Matsumoto

Davy Dupee

An elevator car includes a foldable handrail mounted on top of the car. Safety switches are associated with the foldable handrail including a first safety switch and a second safety switch. The first safety switch is closed only when the handrail is folded in a fully retracted position. The second safety switch is closed when the handrail is unfolded in a fully deployed position. A safety chain is associated with the first and second safety switches for supplying power to an elevator drive system in a normal operation or an inspection operation depending on the state of the first and second safety switches.

Foldable handrail and safety switch arrangement on top of an elevator car

The elevator has a car movable vertically within a shaft between lower and upper end positions and a drive system coupled to a traction system for controlling movement of the car. A limit switch which is open when the car is in a selected distance range from one of the end positions. The limit switch forms part of a power line supplying power to the drive system for controlling movement of the car in a direction towards that end position in an inspection operation. Thus movement of the car is prevented only in that direction when the car is in the selected distance range in an inspection operation.

Elevator having a limit switch for controlling power to the drive system as an elevator car approaches a shallow pit or a low overhead

An elevator system includes a hoistway defined by a surrounding structure. An elevator car and counterweight are located in the hoistway, and a drive motor is located between the elevator car and a sidewall of the hoistway. The drive motor drivingly couples and suspends the elevator car and counterweight via at least one flat rope or belt.

Elevator system having drive motor located between elevator car and hoistway sidewall

An elevator system includes a control system that determines the amount of load of the car, and that determines the operating speed profile of the car based upon the amount of load in the car. In a particular embodiment, the control system includes a load weighing device and uses the weight of the car to determine the selection between two operating speed profiles: a normal operating speed profile and a reduced operating speed profile. The control system compares the measured live load to a pre-selected threshold, such as the car weight plus twice the percentage balancing multiplied by the rated full load of the elevator system. If this threshold is exceeded, then the reduced operating speed profile is selected. In this way, reduced balancing may be used. The selected percentage balancing may be determined empirically or estimated by taking into account the building size, usage and other operational characteristics.

Elevator with reduced counterweight

An apparatus for determining if an elevator car is level with respect to a landing comprises: a first magnet disposed proximate to the landing; a second magnet disposed proximate to the landing; a sensor for providing a level signal in response to detecting a minimum flux region formed by the first and second magnets; and a processor for determining if the elevator is level with respect to the landing in response to the level signal. Each magnet has a first and second magnetic pole. The first and second magnets are adjacently aligned such that the first magnetic pole of the first magnet is adjacent to the first magnetic pole of the second magnet, and the second magnetic pole of the first magnet is adjacent to the second magnetic pole of the second magnet.

Differential magnetic alignment of an elevator and a landing

Growing community of inventors

Nogent-sur-Vernisson, France

Jean-Noel Cloux