An elevator includes a car, a counterweight, and a hoisting member connecting the car with the counterweight over a traction sheave. A free fall protection system includes a free fall protection controller, a free fall protection member connecting the car with the counterweight over the traction sheave or over a separate free fall sheave. The car and the counterweight are supported by the hoisting member in normal operation and by the free fall protection member only in a situation in which the hoisting member support fails. At least one free fall protection brake is arranged to stop the movement of the free fall protection member and thereby also the movement of the car and/or the counterweight, when being activated by the free fall protection controller.

A top module for closing off an elevator shaft of an elevator system has a first top module side wall and a top module ceiling, a first guide rail piece fixed by a bracket on the first top module side wall, and a drive unit connected to the first guide rail piece. The top module can assume an operating state and a transport state. In the operating state, the first guide rail piece and the drive unit assume operating positions, and a car of the elevator system can be moved in the elevator shaft closed off with the top module. In the transport state, the first guide rail piece and the drive unit assume transport positions that deviate from the operating positions.

A transportation system for a building with multiple floors includes a shaft in the building, a traction sheave drive type elevator and a lift. The elevator vertically conveys persons using an elevator car that is movable in the shaft together with at least two counterweights, the elevator car and the counterweights moving in opposite directions. The elevator car and the counterweights are driven by drive engines with traction sheaves. The lift vertically conveys objects and is designed as a self-propelled lift. The lift has a lift platform designed as a vehicle for supplying goods, which vehicle can be brought in and out the shaft and which lies, when located in the shaft, within a vertical projection of the elevator car.

A drive unit for an elevator system, the drive unit including a multilayer, power circuit board; a first DC link formed in a layer of the power circuit board; a second DC link formed in a layer of the power circuit board; a first switch having a first terminal, the first switch mounted to a surface of the power circuit board; a first via electrically coupling the first terminal to the first DC link; a second switch having a second terminal, the second switch mounted to the surface of the power circuit board; and a second via electrically coupling the second terminal to the second DC link; the first via conducting heat from the first switch to the first DC link; the second via conducting heat from the second switch to the second DC link.

A transportation system for a building with multiple floors includes a shaft, a traction sheave drive type elevator and a lift. The elevator that vertically conveys persons has an elevator car which is movable in the shaft and at least two counterweights which are movable together with the car in the shaft in a direction of movement opposite to the direction of movement of the elevator car. The elevator car and the counterweights are driven by drive engines with traction sheaves. The lift that vertically conveys objects may be a self-propelled lift. A lift platform of the lift overlaps at least partly a vertical projection of the elevator car, whereby preferably the vertical projection of the lift platform is smaller than the vertical projection of the elevator car.

An elevator system may have a vertical shaft and at least two cars that are arranged above one another in the shaft and can each be moved upwards and downwards. A first car may be coupled via first suspension means to a first drive and a first counterweight, and a second car may be coupled via second suspension means to a second drive and to a second counterweight, and to a machine room adjacent to the shaft which is spatially separate from the shaft. The first drive is disposed outside the shaft and the second drive is disposed at least partially within the shaft.

An elevator motor includes a stator with stator windings and a rotor including permanent magnets, whereby the magnets of the rotor and windings of the stator are arranged in an axial flux arrangement. The rotor is connected to a traction sheave for driving hoisting ropes of an elevator, whereby the permanent magnets are arranged on a carrier of the rotor in a ring-like arrangement to form a magnet ring with slots in between. The slot width differs between at least some of two successive slots in the magnet ring. This permanent magnet motor has a reduced noise propagation and is particularly adapted for use in residential elevators.

An elevator device includes a car, a hoisting machine, and a control panel that controls operation. The control panel has a regenerative resistance panel part, a main circuit panel part, a power receiving panel part, a signal panel part, and a battery panel part. The main circuit panel part and the power receiving panel part are arranged in parallel in a horizontal direction. The regenerative resistance panel part, the main circuit panel part and power receiving panel part, the signal panel part, and the battery panel part are arranged in an order of, from top to bottom, the regenerative resistance panel part, the main circuit panel part and power receiving panel part, the signal panel part, and the battery panel part.

A modular elevator system has a pit module, one or more shaft modules that are attachable to the pit module and/or to an adjacent shaft module, and a cap module that is attachable to an uppermost shaft module. The pit module, the shaft modules, and the cap module are each pre-fabricated and transported to a site at which a building is under construction for assembly top of the pit module, the remaining shaft modules are secured sequentially on top of each other, and the cap module is secured on top of the uppermost shaft module.

A top module for closing off an elevator shaft of an elevator system has a first top module side wall and a top module ceiling, a first guide rail piece fixed by a bracket on the first top module side wall, and a drive unit connected to the first guide rail piece. The top module can assume an operating state and a transport state. In the operating state, the first guide rail piece and the drive unit assume operating positions, and a car of the elevator system can be moved in the elevator shaft closed off with the top module. In the transport state, the first guide rail piece and the drive unit assume transport positions that deviate from the operating positions.