Vertical-horizontal passenger conveying system

A vertical-horizontal passenger conveying system including cars having individual drives for travel in vertical and horizontal shafts and fixed and movable guide rails mounted in the shafts which are engaged by the drives wherein more than one of the cars can travel in the same shaft at the same time, comprising:

• an elevator car having at least two endless conveying roller chains a portion of each extending outside opposite side walls of said car in a generally vertical direction;
• drive means mounted on said car and connected to said chains for moving said chains;
• at least two vertical guide rails for attachment to opposite side walls of a vertical elevator shaft, each of said vertical guide rails having a plurality of steps formed thereon for engaging an associated one of said chains;
• at least two horizontal guide rails for attachment to a bottom wall of an horizontal elevator shaft intersecting the vertical elevator shaft, said vertical guide rails each having a movable rail portion for pivotally mounting at the intersection of the vertical and horizontal shafts in alignment with an associated one of said horizontal guide rails;
• at least one deflecting roller rotatably mounted on said car for each of said chains, each said chain extending partially around an associated one of said deflecting rollers, each said deflecting roller being driven by said associated chain and engaging an associated one of said horizontal guide rails when said car travels in the horizontal shaft;
• and
• at least one chain tensioning and safety means mounted in said cars for each of said chains for tensioning said chains, for actuating a brake shoe against a wall of the vertical shaft when tension is lost on an associated one of said chains and for generating a signal when tension is lost on an associated one of said chains.

A vertical-horizontal passenger conveying system including cars having individual drives for travel in vertical and horizontal shafts and fixed and movable guide rails mounted in the shafts which are engaged by the drives wherein more than one of the cars can travel in the same shaft at the same time, comprising:

• a plurality of elevator cars, each said car having at least two endless conveying roller chains with a portion of each said chain extending outside an associated side wall of said car in a generally vertical direction;
• drive means mounted on each of said cars and connected to said chains for moving said chains;
• at least two vertical guide rails for attachment to opposite side walls of a vertical elevator shaft, said vertical guide rails having a plurality of steps formed thereon for engaging said chains;
• at least two horizontal guide rails for attachment to a bottom wall of an horizontal elevator shaft intersecting the vertical elevator shaft, said vertical guide rails each having a movable rail portion for pivotally mounting at the intersection of the vertical and horizontal shafts in alignment with an associated one of said horizontal guide rails;
• at least one deflecting roller rotatably mounted on each of said cars for each of said chains, each of said chains extending partially around an associated one of said deflecting rollers, each of said deflecting rollers being driven by an associated one of said chains and engaging an associated one of said horizontal guide rails when said cars travel in the horizontal shaft;
• at least one chain tensioning and safety means mounted in said cars for each of said chains for tensioning said chains, for actuating a brake shoe against a wall of the vertical shaft when tension is lost on an associated one of said chains and for generating a signal when tension is lost on an associated one of said chains;
• and
• retractable and extendable support means mounted on one of said cars and a bottom wall at the intersection of the vertical and horizontal shafts for supporting said cars to relieve said chains from engagement with said steps whereby said movable rail portions can be pivoted away from said cars.