Otis Elevator Company

Other

John K Salmon

Young S Yoo

Richard L Hollowell

Clement A Skalski

Antoine Fritsch

Boris G Traktovenko

Sanjay Kamani

Herve Saillio

Robert L Leiner

Randall Keith Roberts

Mukunda B Pramanik

K Narasimha Reddy

Ian B Freeman

Joseph R Faust

Jason Dearden

Derek Croft

Cory Cozzens

Bryce Quick

Bruce Quick

Taylor Schroedter

Jean-Pierre Bourbon

Dwight Beazley

Irving A Hiller

Quinton Wong

William S Edge

Cole Gunderson

David Usevitch

Keith Worsley

A system for making a food bar comprises a cup holder, a cutting station with a cutter that is configured to cut food contents within the cup holder, a pressing station with a press that is configured to compact the food contents within the cup holder, and a conveyor for moving the cutting station and the pressing station relative to the cup holder.

Compaction system and methods for making food bars

Ultrasonic waves may be emitted from a transmitter/receiver sonic transducer, or separate transmitter working with a separate receiver, directly or reflected into the opening between doors of an elevator; responses reflected from objects or passengers between the doors which are received within a window of response are utilized to create a door reversal signal. The ultrasonic waves may be shaped into a curtain or sheet by means of a hyperbolic reflector opening downwardly toward the doors. To equalize time of travel for sound waves emanating from a single source on one side to all parts of the door opening, the reflector may also have a parabolic shape. The sound waves may be emitted in a cylindrical pattern to accommodate elevators having circular doors. Multiple reflectors may include a convex reflector to spread the sound waves vertically.

Ultrasonic elevator door safety system

An elevator is provided comprising a first car, a second car, and a counterweight for travel within a hoistway. A plurality of ropes connect the first and second cars to the counterweight for travel within the hoistway. A machine is provided for driving the cars and counterweight within the hoistway. The plurality of ropes are arranged to cause the second car to travel 1/N of the distance, at 1/N of the speed, of the first car when the machine is driving the cars.

Two car elevator system

A method for controlling rope sway in an elevator is provided. In the first step a car is provided for travel in a hoistway, wherein the hoistway includes a pair of opposed vertically extending walls between which the car travels. The car includes a center of gravity having an x coordinate and a y coordinate. In the second step, a counterweight is provided for traveling between the hoistway walls. The car and the counterweight are connected to one another by a plurality of ropes. In the third step, a first number of ropes are attached to the car a distance away from the x coordinate of the car. In the fourth step, a second number of ropes are attached to the car a distance away from the x coordinate, equal to the distance the first number of ropes are away from the x coordinate, on the opposite side of the x coordinate as the first number of ropes. The distance the ropes are attached away from the x coordinate is great enough such that oscillation of the ropes will cause the ropes to contact the wall adjacent to the ropes and thereby limit the magnitude of the oscillation.

Method for reducing rope sway in elevators

An elevator car has a car door having a arcuate cross-section and attaching to and rotating about a pivot. A hoistway door has an arcuate cross-section and is selectively coupled to a car door to open and close therewith.

Elevator door system

An elevator car vertically guided along a hoistway rail has horizontal motions controlled by means of an actuator wherein horizontal acceleration of the elevator car and relative horizontal displacement between the car and the rail is sensed for controlling such horizontal motions by means of the actuator. Guiding means can be provided in the form of roller clusters at the corners of the car for engaging hoistway rails on opposite sides of the car wherein, for each roller cluster, plural actuators are included with accompanying springs wherein the roller cluster actuators are responsive to the controller for actuating the elevator car horizontally with respect to the hoistway rail. The roller cluster actuators can be electromagnets. Each wheel of the roller cluster can have stop means assocaiated therewith that is operable to limit the extent of movement of the guide wheel in a direction away from the guide rail.

Elevator active suspension system

An elevator car, which is used with a curvilinear door that encloses an opening of the car, has a back wall, a first side wall attaching to the back wall, and a second side wall attaching to the first side wall at a point that is away from the back wall. The said second side wall extends from the first side wall towards the front opening. The second side wall is shaped and arranged to allow the curvilinear door to open without touching the car. The car has a floor attaching to a bottom portion of the back wall, the first side wall, and the second side wall, having a curvilinear section extending out the front of said car beyond the second side wall. The curvilinear section cooperates with the curvilinear door to prevent objects from falling therebetween. The elevator car enables an elevator to use center opening doors in a narrow hoistway.

Elevator car

A hoistway and a car door are coupled by means of a vane attached to one of the hoistway door and the car door, and a mating channel mounted to the other of the hoistway or car door. A mechanism allows the channel to extend from its mounting towards the vane if the car is in preparing to load or unload passengers. The vane enters the channel to couple the car and hoistway doors for motion together. If the car is in motion the mechanism causes the channel to move towards its mounting and away from the vane so that each channel does not interfere with any vanes on any floor that is passed while in the car is in motion. The channel allows the vane attached thereto, to slightly ascend and descend while still coupled to the channel. The mounting has a spring that bends to move the channel away from the vane and unbends to move the channel towards the vane. The channel releases a lock attached to a hoistway door as the channel moves away from its mounting to allow the hoistway door to open as the car doors open.

Elevator hoistway and car door lock and coupling

An elevator door hanger comprises a support and a linkage attaching to the door and to the support. The linkage allows the door to move in at least two axes as said door opens and closes. The linkage comprises a pair of rods which maintain the door vertically as the door opens and closes. The linkage is disposed so that the door tends to close by gravity. The door rises as it opens and descends as it closes. The linkage may allow for motion in three axes if the door is curvilinear.

Elevator hoistway door support system

An elevator landing, which is used with a curvilinear hoistway door has a lintel, a guide attached to the lintel, the guide having a curvilinear slot having an inner edge and an outer edge for guiding an upper portion of the curvilinear door and, a curvilinear sill having a curvilinear second slot having an inner edge and an outer edge for guiding a lower edge portion of the doors. The first slot and the second slot are in register with each other. The sill slot extends vertically through the sill.

Elevator landing

A method and apparatus for actively counteracting a disturbing force acting on a suspended elevator cab in a frame moving vertically in a hoistway is disclosed. A manifestation of the disturbing force such as acceleration is sensed and counteracted, for example, by effectively adding mass to the cab in proportion to the sensed acceleration. This may be accomplished by using an electromagnet actuator for actuating the suspended cab in response to a control signal from a control means which is in turn responsive to the sensed signal. Whatever type of actuator is used, it may be used as well to bring the suspended cab to rest with respect to a hoistway sill prior to transferring passengers. The control means may be analog or digital or a combination of both. A preferred analog-digital approach is disclosed in which the digital part is responsive to accelerometer signals, the analog part is responsive to a force command signal from the digital part and provides a position feedback signal in return. In a preferred embodiment, four electromagnet actuators are situated in the corners of the cab between the floor of the frame and the bottom of the suspended cab. Each actuator may act along a line which intersects the walls of the cab at a forty-five degree angle. A single axis embodiment is also disclosed.

Counteracting horizontal accelerations on an elevator car

An elevator drive, which moves an arcuate car door attaching to a support that rotates about an axis, has a motor having an output, an arm attached to the output, and a linkage having a first coupling allowing compound motion attached to the arm and a second coupling allowing compound motion attached to the support, the door moving as the arm rotates in response to motion of the output.

Elevator door drive

A pendulum cab (13) is movably suspended from the frame (30) of an elevator car such as by rods (29) and stabilized by means of electromagnetic actuators (41-45) which interact directly with the hoistway rails (22) in response to signals from accelerometers (66-68) disposed on a platform (28) of the cab as well as proximity sensors for locking up the cab while at a landing.

Suspended elevator cab magnetic guidance to rails

A method and apparatus for actively counteracting a disturbing force acting horizontally on a platform moving vertically in a hoistway is disclosed. A manifestation of the disturbing force such as acceleration is sensed and counteracted, for example, by effectively adding mass to the platform in proportion to the sensed acceleration. This may be accomplished by using an electromagnet actuator for actuating the platform in response to a control signal from a control means which is in turn responsive to the sensed signal. Whatever type of actuator is used, it may be used as well to bring the platform to rest with respect to a hoistway sill prior to transferring passengers. The control means may be analog or digital or a combination of both. A preferred analog-digital approach is disclosed in which the digital part is responsive to accelerometer signals, the analog part is responsive to a force command signal from the digital part and provides a position feedback signal in return. In a preferred embodiment, four electromagnet actuators are situated near the bottom of the platform. Each actuator may act along a line which intersects the walls of the car at a forty-five degree angle. A single axis embodiment is also disclosed.

Active control of elevator platform

A method and apparatus for actively counteracting a disturbing force acting on a suspended elevator cab moving vertically in a hoistway is disclosed. A manifestation of the disturbing force such as acceleration is sensed and counteracted, for example, by effectively exerting counterforces against the cab. The magnitude and phase of the counterforce is selected according to the magnitude and phase of the system response to a disturbing force. The invention may be carried out using an electromagnet actuator for actuating the suspended cab in response to a control signal from a control means which is in turn responsive to the sensed signal. The control means may be analog or digital or a combination of both. A preferred analog-digital approach is disclosed in which the digital part is responsive to accelerometer signals, the analog part is responsive to a force command signal from the digital part and provides a force feedback signal for comparison to the force command signal. In a pendulum car embodiment, three pairs of electromagnets form three actuators situated between the floor of the frame and the bottom of the suspended cab.

Growing community of inventors

South Windsor, CT, United States of America

John K Salmon