Elevator systems and methods of operation include a tension member support positioned within an elevator shaft, a tension member suspended from the tension member support within the elevator shaft, and a slack detection system. The slack detection system includes at least one biasing element housed within the tension member support and operably coupled to the tension member, the at least one biasing element arranged to receive a load from the tension member and a switch arranged to be moved from a first position to a second position in response to movement of the at least one biasing element, wherein when in the second position the switch triggers an emergency stop of an elevator car within the elevator shaft.

An object of the invention is to provide a vibration damping system that can avoid the occurrence of resonance of an elevator rope regardless of the vibration frequency of a vibration source. A vibration damping system (200) includes a displacement amplifier (7), a calculation unit (66), and a displacement amplification control unit (67). The displacement amplifier (7) is arranged along a given position in the longitudinal direction of the elevator rope. The displacement amplifier (7) amplifies a displacement due to vibration of the elevator rope based on a variable amplification factor. The calculation unit (66) calculates the natural frequency of the elevator rope. The displacement amplification control unit (67) controls the displacement amplification of the displacement amplifier (7) based on the natural frequency calculated by the calculation unit (66) and a preset vibration frequency.

A vertical lift conveyor for lifting materials between different vertical levels. The vertical lift conveyor includes a pair of spaced uprights and a carriage that moves vertically along the spaced uprights. The vertical lift conveyor includes a drive assembly including a drive motor coupled to a drive shaft. Each end of the drive shaft includes a first sprocket and a second sprocket that each engages one of a pair of lift chains. The first and second sprockets each include a plurality of teeth (N). The first and second sprockets are offset from each other 180/N. The offset between the first and sprockets creates sinusoidal velocity profiles for the two chains that are out of phase with each other. A connection block is used to connect the pair of lift chains to each side of the carriage combines the lift chain velocities into a linear vertical velocity for the carriage.

A vertical lift conveyor for lifting materials between different vertical levels. The vertical lift conveyor includes a pair of spaced uprights and a carriage that moves vertically along the spaced uprights. The vertical lift conveyor includes a drive assembly including a drive motor coupled to a drive shaft. Each end of the drive shaft includes a first sprocket and a second sprocket that each engages one of a pair of lift chains. The first and second sprockets each include a plurality of teeth (N). The first and second sprockets are offset from each other 180/N. The offset between the first and sprockets creates sinusoidal velocity profiles for the two chains that are out of phase with each other. A connection block is used to connect the pair of lift chains to each side of the carriage combines the lift chain velocities into a linear vertical velocity for the carriage.

An elevator arrangement, comprising at least one rope connected with an elevator car; a rope wheel arrangement comprising at least one rope wheel around which the rope passes turning around an axis, which extends in width direction of the rope; and a rope position detector arranged to detect displacement of the rope over at least one limit position and to trigger one or more predetermined actions in response to detecting displacement of the rope over a limit position. The rope is arranged to pass around a rope wheel turning around an axis, which extends in width direction of the rope, and the rope position detector is arranged to detect displacement of the rope over a limit position in thickness direction of the rope at a detection point, and to trigger one or more predetermined actions in response to detecting displacement of the rope in its thickness direction over the limit position, said limit position being on the opposite side of the rope than said rope wheel.

An elevator arrangement, comprising at least one rope connected with an elevator car; a rope wheel arrangement comprising at least one rope wheel around which the rope passes turning around an axis, which extends in width direction of the rope; and a rope position detector arranged to detect displacement of the rope over at least one limit position and to trigger one or more predetermined actions in response to detecting displacement of the rope over a limit position. The rope is arranged to pass around a rope wheel turning around an axis, which extends in width direction of the rope, and the rope position detector is arranged to detect displacement of the rope over a limit position in thickness direction of the rope at a detection point, and to trigger one or more predetermined actions in response to detecting displacement of the rope in its thickness direction over the limit position, said limit position being on the opposite side of the rope than said rope wheel.

A single-cable drum-type conveying installation with a cable drum driven by a winch drive, includes a cable-monitoring device, a conveying device, which hangs freely on a conveying cable, and an intermediate harness connecting the conveying cable to the conveying device. The cable-monitoring device includes a load-measuring pin, as a constituent part of the intermediate harness, and also a transmission path along which a measuring signal received from the load-measuring pin is transmitted to an evaluation device. The evaluation device is designed for evaluating the measuring signal such that, in the case of the measuring signal jumping by an extent which exceeds a certain amount, a malfunction is detected.

A hoist security arrangement for avoiding dropping of the load when the chain or cable breaks includes a longer redundant auxiliary chain or cable disposed alongside the main chain or cable and which is raised and lowered synchronously with the slightly shorter main chain or cable so that the main chain or cable normally supports the entire weight of the load. If the main chain or cable breaks, the load drops slightly until the slack in the redundant auxiliary chain or cable is eliminated to hold the load solely by tensioning the auxiliary chain or cable. The extent of slack is set to insure that slight lengthening of the main chain as caused by wear does not result in loading of the auxiliary chain or cable.

A hoist security arrangement for avoiding dropping of the load when the chain or cable breaks includes a longer redundant auxiliary chain or cable disposed alongside the main chain or cable and which is raised and lowered synchronously with the slightly shorter main chain or cable so that the main chain or cable normally supports the entire weight of the load. If the main chain or cable breaks, the load drops slightly until the slack in the redundant auxiliary chain or cable is eliminated to hold the load solely by tensioning the auxiliary chain or cable. The extent of slack is set to insure that slight lengthening of the main chain as caused by wear does not result in loading of the auxiliary chain or cable.

In an elevator apparatus, a safety device that makes a car perform emergency stopping is mounted to the car. A rope is installed in a loop inside a hoistway. The rope is connected to the car. A tensioning sheave around which the rope is wound is disposed in a lower portion of the hoistway. A tensioning sheave displacement detecting portion detects downward displacement of the tensioning sheave that accompanies dropping of the car due to breakage of the suspending body and activates the safety device.