Elevator system having a laser distance measuring device

An elevator system comprising:

• an elevator car movable along a travel path delimited at a top of the travel path by an upper boundary and delimited at a bottom of the travel path by a lower boundary;
• a laser distance measuring device emitting a laser beam and being adapted to determine a distance to a position at which the laser beam impinges on an object from a portion of the laser beam that is reflected back or backscattered by the object, the laser distance measuring device including a mirror movable among a first mirror position, a second mirror position and a third mirror position;
• wherein the laser distance measuring device is mounted on the elevator car and is operable among a first configuration, a second configuration and a third configuration;
• wherein the laser distance measuring device, when in the first configuration, moves the mirror to the first mirror position whereby the mirror directs the laser beam upward toward the upper boundary and wherein the laser distance measuring device determines a distance to the upper boundary;
• wherein the laser distance measuring device, when in the second configuration, moves the mirror to the second mirror position whereby the mirror directs the laser beam downward toward the lower boundary and wherein the laser distance measuring device determines a distance to the lower boundary;
• and
• wherein the laser distance measuring device, when in the third configuration, moves the mirror to the third mirror position to direct the laser beam toward a lateral boundary next to the travel path and to determine a distance to the lateral boundary, and wherein the mirror does not deflect the laser beam when the mirror is in the third mirror position.