Disclosed herein are embodiments of stair lift systems arranged such that a number of configurable subcomponents can be assembled to form a wide variety of stair lift systems that meet the spatial, dimensional, and physical arrangement of an equally wide variety of pre-existing stairways and staircases in residential and commercial settings. Each embodiment of a stair lift system is highly configurable, can generally be installed in one session, and provides enhanced and additional functionality as compared to prior art stair lift systems. A stair lift system generally comprises a modular and configurable rail assembly, a plurality of modular and configurable post assemblies for securing the rail assembly to the pre-existing staircase, and a chair that engages with and traverses the modular rail assembly to move a user up and down the staircase.

A stairlift (12) comprises a carriage (10) moveable along a rail (14) by a drive means (18) and a seat (34) moveably coupled to the carriage. Levelling means are provided for altering the orientation of the seat with respect to the carriage. Further, limiting means (40) are provided for limiting movement of the seat with respect to the carriage so as not to exceed a predetermined angle of inclination of the seat, and comprising locking means (42). When the angle of inclination of the seat reaches the predetermined angle, the limiting means mechanically engages with the seat assembly to prevent further movement of the seat and operates the locking means to secure the seat in position.

A stairlift for conveying a load along a staircase rail includes a rail, a carriage carried by the rail and moveable along the rail, a carriage drive to drive the carriage along the rail, a load carrier support supporting a load carrier, such as a chair or wheelchair platform, which load carrier support is rotatably connected to the carriage to rotate about a horizontal axis, a rotation device to rotate the load carrier support relative to the carriage about the horizontal axis, and a control unit to control the rotation device such that the load carrier support is positioned in a desired orientation relative to a horizontal plane. The rotation device includes a motor and a rotator, where the motor is operatively connected to the load carrier support via the rotator to cause rotation of the load carrier support relative to the carriage about the horizontal axis.

The invention provides an over-speed detection device (OSDD) and over-speed governor (OSG) for a stairlift, the OSDD/OSG being tripped by flyweights which displace from the rotational axis of the OSDD/OSG when subjected to over-speed. The outward displacement of the flyweights is converted into an axial displacement to effect triggering of the OSG. This ensures that the tripping speed is independent of the angle of inclination of the stairlift rail. A number of other features are described including mounting the OSDD/OSG so that it takes its drive from a convex surface of the rail in negative transition bends. This ensures that the speed of the OSDD/OSG is maintained close to the tripping speed even when the carriage is slowed to traverse the negative transition bend

A stairlift (12) comprises a carriage (10) moveable along a rail (14) by a drive means (18) and a seat (34) moveably coupled to the carriage. Levelling means are provided for altering the orientation of the seat with respect to the carriage. Further, limiting means (40) are provided for limiting movement of the seat with respect to the carriage so as not to exceed a predetermined angle of inclination of the seat, and comprising locking means (42). When the angle of inclination of the seat reaches the predetermined angle, the limiting means mechanically engages with the seat assembly to prevent further movement of the seat and operates the locking means to secure the seat in position.

A kit provides an elevator system defining an elevator transport axis with respect to an exposed vertical face of a vertical structure. The kit includes an elevator platform, rail segment modules having elevator rail element(s), a base structure and a rail segment stacking system. The rail segment modules can be serially stacked contiguously via the rail segment stacking system to provide a mast stack, forming contiguous vertical elevator rail(s) parallel to the elevator transport axis. The elevator platform can be transported along the mast stack via the vertical elevator rail. The base structure has a module receiving station which receives from a rail segment module source each rail segment module in turn, and feeds each one to the rail segment stacking system, allowing on-site coupling and bottom-to-top stacking of the fed rail segment modules, providing a progressively elongating mast stack, and transporting the progressively elongating mast stack vertically and progressively further away from the ground after each rail segment module is stacked thereto.