A ropeless elevator system (10) includes a plurality of elevator cars (14) configured to travel in a hoistway having at least one lane (13, 15, 17), a propulsion system (16, 18) to impart force to each elevator car of the plurality of elevator cars, and a controller (46). The controller is configured to operate in an in-group mode where the plurality of elevator cars perform service demands, and to selectively operate in an out-of-group mode where at least one selected elevator car of the plurality of elevator cars performs a predetermined task and is prevented from performing the in-group mode service demands.

A shaft changing assembly may be utilized with or in an elevator system. The elevator system may include two vertical elevator shafts, cars that are independently movable in the elevator shafts, a horizontal guide rail connecting the elevator shafts and configured to guide the cars along a movement path during a changing process from a first of the shafts to an end position in a second of the shafts. The shaft changing assembly may comprise an auxiliary brake configured to generate a braking force to brake the car undergoing horizontal travel. Application of the braking force may depend on a velocity profile of the car undergoing horizontal travel.

A ropeless elevator system includes a plurality of elevator cars configured to travel in a hoistway having at least one lane, a propulsion system to impart force to each elevator car of the plurality of elevator cars, and a controller. The controller is programmed to operate in an in-group mode where the plurality of elevator cars perform service demands, an out-of-group mode where at least one selected elevator car of the plurality of elevator cars is prevented from performing the group service mode service demands, and a transition mode where the at least one selected elevator car is prepared and transitioned from operation in the in-group mode to operation in the out-of-group mode.

A method can be used to operate an elevator system that comprises multiple elevator shafts, an elevator car, and a shaft changing unit. The elevator car can change from a first elevator shaft into a second elevator shaft by way of the shaft changing unit. To convey a user of the elevator system from a starting position to a destination position, a route is determined from a plurality of route options whereby initial values are taken into account for the determination of the route. In this context, a specification relating to use of the shaft changing unit is taken into account as an initial value from the initial values for the determination of the route.

A smart multi-car elevator system, comprising at least two hoistways, a switch mechanism, a power mechanism and multiple cars; the hoistways are internally provided with rails for the movement of the cars, the switch mechanism is provided between adjacent hoistways, the position of the cars being switched, by means of the switch mechanism, between the adjacent hoistways; the perform, driven by the power mechanism, upward or downward movement within the hoistways or switch movement between the hoistways, and the cars are driven by the power mechanism to stop at any floor for people to get in or get out the elevator. The smart multi-car elevator system is provided with multiple individually running cars within one hoistway, improving the conveying efficiency and effectively saving the building space and building cost.

An elevator system includes at least one guide rail and at least one elevator cabin movable in a direction of travel along the guide rail. A cabin control unit is installed on the elevator cabin and a central control unit is connected to the cabin control unit by a wireless communications system. The wireless communications system includes a slotted waveguide conductor arrangement installed in the elevator shaft.

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 transport system may include at least two conveyor sections and at least three cars that are moved individually in a cyclical operation. Each car may pass through a first conveyor section starting from a first start position and subsequently pass through a second conveyor section back to the first start position. At least one stopping point may be provided at least along a conveyor section, and one or more subsequent stopping points may respectively be assigned to a block. Travel of the cars may be controlled such that the cars successively approach a respective previously-specified block, and an equal cycle time is predefined for every car to pass through the first and second conveyor sections. A method for operating a transport system in this manner is also disclosed.

An elevator system, including at least one first guide rail, which is oriented in a first, in particular vertical, direction, at least one second guide rail, which is oriented in a second, in particular horizontal, direction, a plurality of rotatable rail segments, wherein at least one thereof is transferable between an orientation in the first direction and an orientation in the second direction, at least one elevator cab, which is transportable along the guide rails and which, via the rotatable rail segments, is transferable between the different guide rails, at least one third guide rail, which is oriented in a third, in particular horizontal, direction, and wherein at least one of the rotatable rail segments is transferable between an orientation in the first or second direction into an orientation in the third direction.

The invention relates to a method for allocating elevators of an elevator group to landing calls given in the elevator group, the elevator group having a control unit having a destination call control, which elevator control unit is connected to determining means for the prevailing traffic condition in the elevator group. Further the control unit comprises at least a first and second operating mode which are selected according to the prevailing traffic condition, wherein the first operating mode uses immediate call allocation of the elevators which includes the display of the allocated elevator on a destination operating panel immediately after having issued a landing call and wherein the second mode comprises the allocation of an elevator to a landing call before the arrival of the allocated elevator call to the landing where the landing call has been issued. The invention allows an adaption of destination control to different traffic situations.