Connecting cars in a multicar elevator system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10059566-B2
Application number	US-201314888745-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 7, 2013
Priority date	May 7, 2013
Publication date	Aug 28, 2018
Grant date	Aug 28, 2018

Abstract

An elevator system includes a first hoistway having a shuttle section and serviced floors; a second hoistway having a shuttle section and serviced floors; a first elevator car; a second elevator car; a coupler physically connecting the first elevator car and the second elevator car during travel in the shuttle section; an upper transfer station for transferring at least one of the first elevator car and the second elevator car from the first hoistway to the second hoistway; a lower transfer station for transferring at least one of the first elevator car and the second elevator car from the second hoistway to the first hoistway.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An elevator system comprising:
a first hoistway having a shuttle section where no floors are serviced and serviced floors;
a second hoistway having a shuttle section where no floors are serviced and serviced floors;
a first elevator car;
a second elevator car;
a coupler physically connecting the first elevator car and the second elevator car during travel in the shuttle section;
an upper transfer station for transferring at least one of the first elevator car and the second elevator car from the first hoistway to the second hoistway;
a lower transfer station for transferring at least one of the first elevator car and the second elevator car from the second hoistway to the first hoistway;
wherein the first elevator car and the second elevator car are decoupled for servicing the serviced floors.

2. The elevator system of claim 1 wherein:
the upper transfer station transfers the first elevator car and the second elevator car from the first hoistway to the second hoistway at the same time.

3. The elevator system of claim 2 wherein:
the first elevator car and the second elevator car are coupled during transfer from the first hoistway to the second hoistway.

4. The elevator system of claim 1 wherein:
the lower transfer station transfers the first elevator car and the second elevator car from the second hoistway to the first hoistway at the same time.

5. The elevator system of claim 4 wherein:
the first elevator car and the second elevator car are coupled during transfer from the second hoistway to the first hoistway.

6. The elevator system of claim 1 wherein:
during travel in the first hoistway, the first elevator car services a first subset of the serviced floors and the second elevator car services a second subset of the serviced floors.

7. The elevator system of claim 6 wherein:
during travel in the second hoistway, the first elevator car services the first subset of the serviced floors and the second elevator car services the second subset of the serviced floors.

8. The elevator system of claim 1 wherein:
the upper transfer station transfers the first elevator car and the second elevator car from the first hoistway to the second hoistway one at a time.

9. An elevator system comprising:
a first hoistway having a shuttle section and serviced floors;
a second hoistway having a shuttle section and serviced floors;
a first elevator car;
a second elevator car;
a coupler physically connecting the first elevator car and the second elevator car during travel in the shuttle section;
an upper transfer station for transferring at least one of the first elevator car and the second elevator car from the first hoistway to the second hoistway;
a lower transfer station for transferring at least one of the first elevator car and the second elevator car from the second hoistway to the first hoistway;
wherein the upper transfer station transfers the first elevator car and the second elevator car from the first hoistway to the second hoistway one at a time;
wherein the first elevator car and the second elevator are coupled for servicing the serviced floors in the first hoistway, decoupled prior to entering the upper transfer station, and coupled prior to servicing the serviced floors in the second hoistway.

10. The elevator system of claim 9 wherein:
during travel in the first hoistway, the first elevator car services a first subset of the serviced floors and the second elevator car services a second subset of the serviced floors,
during travel in the second hoistway, the first elevator car services the second subset of the serviced floors and the second elevator car services the first subset of the serviced floors.

Assignees

• Otis Elevator Co

Inventors

• Witczak Tadeusz
• Piech Zbigniew

Classifications

• B66B9/00

  Kinds or types of lifts in, or associated with, buildings or other structures (characterised by control systems B66B1/00; apparatus for raising or lowering persons on stages of theatres A63J5/12) · CPC title

• B66B9/003 Primary

  for lateral transfer of car or frame, e.g. between vertical hoistways or to/from a parking position · CPC title

• B66B9/02

  actuated mechanically otherwise than by rope or cable · CPC title

• B66B1/2491

  For elevator systems with lateral transfers of cars or cabins between hoistways · CPC title

• B66B2009/006

  Ganged elevator · CPC title