An elevator system includes a first elevator car (14A) supported for vertical movement in a lane (11, 13, 15, 17) of a hoistway (11). A second elevator car (14B) is configured to operate and move vertically in the lane (11, 13, 15, 17) below the first elevator car (14A) independently thereof. At least one buffering device (34) is supported on at least one of the elevator cars (14) to absorb energy upon contact between each buffering device (034) and the other elevator car (14).

An assembly 28 for actuating and controlling braking of a car of an elevator system is provided. The assembly includes at least one braking device 20 mounted on the car, supported between the car and a hoistway for movement with the car within the hoistway, and configured to apply a braking force to the car. The assembly also includes at least one corresponding actuator 34 supported by the hoistway and configured to selectively engage the braking device to prevent movement of the car.

According to an aspect, an elevator system includes an elevator car 14 to travel in a hoistway 11 and a linear propulsion system 20 to impart force to the elevator car. The linear propulsion system includes a secondary portion 18 mounted to the elevator car and a primary portion 16 mounted in the hoistway. The primary portion includes a plurality of motor segments 26. The elevator system also includes a load sensor 52 operable to detect an elevator load on a brake. The elevator system further includes a control system 46 operable to apply an electrical current to at least one of the motor segments that overlaps the secondary portion, determine a measurement of the elevator load, and vary an electrical angle estimate while the brake is engaged and thrust is applied.

A transfer station (40) for a ropeless elevator system includes a plurality of lanes (13) configured to accommodate vertical travel of an elevator car (14) therein. Also included is a parking area (42) located adjacent at least one of the plurality of lanes (13). Further included is a carriage (46) moveable between the plurality of lanes (13) and the parking area (42), the carriage (46) configured to support and move the elevator car (14) in a horizontal direction. Yet further included is a car (14) disengagement mechanism (50) engageable with the elevator car (14) for disengagement of the elevator car (14) from a primary propulsion mechanism of the car (14) within the plurality of lanes (13) and for movement of the elevator car (14) between at least one of the plurality of lanes (13) and the parking area (42).

The present disclosure concerns a method for operating an elevator system which comprises a shaft system and at least three cars, which is designed for separately moving the cars in at least a first direction of travel and in a second direction of travel. The at least three cars are moved separately in sequential operation each time and for each car a stop point at which the car can stop if necessary is continuously predicted at least for one direction of travel. The distance of the predicted stop points of neighboring cars from each other is thereby continuously determined. The elevator system is transferred to a safety mode if a negative distance of the stop points is determined.

A transportation system for a building includes a horizontal travel lane, a vertical travel lane, and a transportation cab configured for travel along the horizontal travel lane and vertical travel lane, a cab floor of the transportation cab orientable such that the cab floor is non perpendicular to a gravitational force acting on the transportation cab. A method of operating a transportation system for a building includes locating a transportation cab at a travel lane positioned at a building, accelerating the transportation cab in a non-vertical direction along the travel lane and orienting a cab floor of the transportation cab to be non-perpendicular to a gravitational force acting on the transportation cab during non-vertical acceleration of the transportation cab.

A method for controlling car separation in a multi-car elevator system, the method including: initiating, by a controller, a change in a profile of a target elevator car; determining that N elevators cars are affected by the change in the profile of the target elevator car, wherein elevator car N is an elevator car farthest from the target elevator car; calculating for each of the N elevator cars an updated profile; for each of the N elevator cars, beginning with the Nth elevator car and ending with the target elevator car, performing: determining if the updated profile for the elevator car will provide separation between the elevator car and a neighboring elevator car; and when the updated profile for the elevator car will provide separation between the elevator car and the neighboring elevator car, executing an elevator car profile update process for the elevator car.

The disclosure relates to an elevator system consisting of a plurality of elevator carriages, a shaft system, a drive system for separately moving the elevator carriages within the shaft system, as well as a safety system having a plurality of safety nodes designed to bring the elevator system into a safe operating mode if an operating mode of the elevator system, which deviates from the normal operation mode, is detected. The elevator carriages, the shaft system and the drive system form a functional unit. One of the safety nodes is always assigned to one of the functional units, wherein the safety nodes are each connected to at least another safety node through an interface for transmitting data. Each safety node includes at least one sensor, which detects an operating parameter of the corresponding assigned functional unit. A control unit evaluates the operating parameter detected by one of the sensors of the respective safety node and, taking into account the data transmitted by at least another safety node.

The present disclosure relates to a method for operating an elevator system, which is embodied as shaft-changing multi-car system. A number of cars is assigned to at least three elevator shafts. The cars can be moved in upwards direction and downwards direction inside the individual elevator shafts, as well as between the individual elevator shafts. A successive reversal of the travel directions of the respective cars occurs hereby.

An elevator control system for an elevator system, including a display device, at least one processor in communication with the display device and the elevator system, the at least one processor programmed or configured to render, on the display device, a graphical destination interface comprising a plurality of visual representations of destinations within the building, receive a user selection of a selected destination from the plurality of destinations, determine a plurality of selectable options for elevator call requests based on the selected destination, render the plurality of selectable options for elevator call requests on the graphical destination interface or a second graphical call request interface, receive a user selection of a selected option from the plurality of selectable options for elevator call requests, and control movement of an elevator car in the elevator system based on the selected destination and the selected option.