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US 11,027,944 B2Granted
Climbing elevator transfer system and methods
AssigneeOtis Elevator Company
InventorKiron Bhaskar
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An elevator system comprising: a plurality of hoistways, each having at least one rail; at least one car moveable along and between the plurality of hoistways and having: a drive assembly operably connected to the car and including two or more wheels engageable to opposing surfaces of the rail of a hoistway along which the car may move, the drive assembly configured to apply an engagement force to the rail to both support the car at the rail and drive the car along the rail; and at least one shuttle moveable transverse to the plurality of hoistways for transferring the car between the hoistways.
Claims18
An elevator system comprising:
- a plurality of hoistways, each having at least one rail;
- at least one car moveable along and between the plurality of hoistways and each car of the at least one car having:
- a drive assembly including:
- two or more wheels engageable to opposing surfaces of the rail of a hoistway of the plurality of hoistways along which the car may move, the drive assembly configured to apply an engagement force to the rail to both support the car at the rail and drive the car along the rail;
- and
- for at least a first wheel and a second wheel of said two or more wheels, a wheel hub motor, each said wheel hub motor comprising:
- a rotor connected to a rim of the respective first wheel and second wheel;
- and
- a stator nonrotatably connected to a shaft;
- and
- at least one shuttle moveable transverse to the plurality of hoistways for transferring the at least one car between the hoistways,
- wherein:
- said at least one shuttle comprises at least one rail positionable in registry with the rail of one of the hoistways to receive a car from or transfer a car to that hoistway and to suspend said car for movement between that hoistway and another of the hoistways.
10 more elements
An elevator system comprising:
- a plurality of hoistways, each having at least one rail;
- at least one car moveable along and between the plurality of hoistways and having:
- a drive assembly:
- operably connected to the car;
- including two or more wheels engageable to opposing surfaces of the rail of a hoistway along which the car may move;
- configured to apply an engagement force to the rail to both support the car at the rail and drive the car along the rail;
- and
- comprising for at least a first wheel and a second wheel of said two or more wheels, a wheel hub motor within a rim of the respective first wheel and second wheel;
- and
- at least one shuttle moveable transverse to the plurality of hoistways for transferring the car between the hoistways,
- wherein:
- each hoistway of the plurality of hoistways has an electrical contact rail;
- and
- the at least one car has at least one electrical contact shoe for engaging the electrical contact rail for powering the car.
11 more elements
An elevator system comprising:
- a first hoistway;
- a second hoistway;
- a guide rail including:
- a first guide rail portion extending along the first hoistway;
- a second guide rail portion extending along the second hoistway;
- and
- a transfer rail spanning the first hoistway and the second hoistway and supporting a transfer, carriage wherein;
- the transfer carriage has one or more wheels engaging the transfer rail;
- the transfer carriage has a transfer carriage rail depending below the transfer rail;
- the transfer carriage includes a direct drive prime mover to move the transfer carriage along the transfer rail;
- and
- the direct drive prime mover is a wheel hub motor having a rotor surrounding a stator,
- an elevator car movable along the first guide rail and second guide rail and the transfer carriage rail;
- and
- a drive assembly operably connected to the elevator car and including two or more wheels engaged to opposing surfaces of an engaged rail of the first guide rail, the second guide rail, and the transfer carriage rail, the drive assembly configured to apply an engagement force to the engaged rail to both support the elevator car at the engaged rail and drive the elevator car along the engaged rail;
- wherein the elevator car and the drive assembly are configured to allow for travel of the elevator car in a vertical position along the first guide rail portion, and to transfer from the first hoistway to the second hoistway via the transfer carriage.
13 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.