A work assist tool has been developed to the installation process of elevator guide rails. The guide rail installation involves positioning and securing of guide rails on both sides of the elevator shaft relative to the construction reference line. Due to the necessity of achieving simultaneous precision on both sides, multiple adjustments are frequently required. The developed assist tool consists of sensors that identify and display the relative position of the guide rails and the construction reference line in five distinct areas based on signal transitions from photo-interrupters. Additionally, it incorporates a mechanism that uses the sensor signals to automatically positioning both guide rails simultaneously. The application of this assist tool has achieved improved efficiency in the guide rail installation.

In the installation work of elevators, where there is a shortage of manpower, the adjustment of guide rails is particularly time-consuming and requires skilled techniques. Therefore, we propose a "Rail Adjustment Optimization (RAdO)" method to make this task efficient. Aiming to improve the performance of this method, we attempted to create an advanced car vibration model. In some cases, the previous model expected a vibration reduction of more than 30%, but it actually achieved less than 10%. However, the proposed model improved the simulation accuracy. Additionally, it was confirmed through simulation that the newly considered vibration modes could be suppressed, reducing vibration by 25% through optimization of the adjustment using the proposed model.

In Japan, evacuation by stairways is the principle method of evacuation during a fire, and it is an urgent issue from the viewpoints of universal design, SDGs, etc. to enable elevator evacuation for people who have difficulty in evacuating by stairways. Therefore, the authors have conducted various studies on the use of elevators to evacuate people who have difficulty in moving and evacuating by stairs in the event of fire. In this paper, the results and discussion of experiments on getting on and off an elevator with wheelchair users were reported. The changes in passenger flow and situations due to wheelchair users were investigated. As a result, the presence of wheelchair users slowed passenger flow and reduced the number of people who could enter the elevator. A questionnaire conducted after the experiment showed that the many participants did not think of getting off the elevator even if a wheelchair user was present. However, many participants were willing to their turn to a wheelchair user when they are waiting in the elevator hall.

Elevators are installed in various locations, resulting in differences in the background noise levels in elevator cabins. The suitable volume for audio announcements broadcasted in elevator cabins is affected not only by background noise but also by the purpose of each audio announcement.

This report presents the findings of an investigation into the relationship between background noise levels and the suitable volume of audio announcements in elevator cabins, taking their content and purpose into account.

Elevators are required to be quiet from the viewpoint of ride comfort. Motors and brakes are the main sources of vibration and noise in elevators. Noise caused by brakes is a transient sound, and its eigenvalues are easily excited, and unlike the excitation force of a motor that excites a specific frequency, it is difficult to take countermeasures such as making it non-resonant. The purpose of this paper is to develop an excitation model to clarify the transient excitation force of an elevator brake and to evaluate the validity of the excitation model using a noise estimation model based on FEM. The excitation force combines with the collision force when the brake collides with the spring force for pressing. As a result of estimating vibration and noise using the FEM model using the combined excitation force, the response of the initial vibration near the brake can be simulated by actual measurement and analysis, and the collision force calculated by the initial input calculation is highly accurate. It is thought that it can be simulated by regarding noise, the maximum value can be simulated with high accuracy.

This study proposes a novel method for estimating braking torque in elevator traction machines using multiple regression analysis. The method employs three key parameters, including static torque, brake temperature, and air gap. Experimental validation conducted with an elevator traction machine brake (rated at 240 N・m) demonstrates that this method enables the quantitative evaluation of braking torque during periodic inspections, contributing to enhanced safety and improved maintenance efficiency. Additionally, this approach complies with the recent regulatory requirements for Unintended Car Movement Protection (UCMP) and offers a practical and efficient solution for field technicians.

An elevator car may tilt due to an unbalance in its own weight. Excessive car tilt can adversely affect ride comfort and the lifespan of equipment. Therefore, the elevator installation process includes measuring the car’s posture and adjusting its unbalanced mass. These processes require repeated operations to enhance adjustment accuracy, which causes prolonged working hours and an increased burden on workers. In order to improve this situation, we developed a measurement system for the adjustment of the car’s unbalanced mass. This system can automate the measurement of the car posture and find the moment to counterbalance any unbalanced mass based on the regression curve relating to the car posture and the moment acting on it. Furthermore, this system presents the optimal arrangement pattern for the additional mass that achieve the counterbalancing moment. This paper presents the general configuration of the system, the method for finding the counterbalance moment and the optimal arrangement pattern, and the results of verification test of the system.

Recently, efforts to reduce construction costs and improve work efficiency have been accelerating. As one solution to shorten construction periods, various elevator companies have adopted the "climbing elevator" system. As our conventional system needs to replace the suspension ropes during the climbing operation, reducing the downtime of the elevator during the climbing operation is a key issue to solve. Therefore, to address this issue, we developed a compact machine room unit which contains climbing equipments and rope feeding devices. This paper particularly focuses on a rope tension balance mechanism while feeding multiple ropes and suspension balance evaluation to suppress the guide reaction force of the machine room unit during the climbing operation.

Regular maintenance program is conducted to ensure the health of escalator equipment. In recent years, there has been a shortage of maintenance personnel, so we have considered automating the maintenance of escalator chain, which is one of the escalater main components. Currently, caliper is used to measure the elongation of the chain and if the elongation reaches 1%, the chain should be replaced. This process requires the removal of covers and is labor-intensive. Additionally, there are requests for higher frequency than the current maintenance intervals. To address this, we have developed a new measurement system that automates the measurement of chain elongation by installing magnetic proximity switches on the drive and driven sprockets. The system detects the time at which the tooth tips pass in front of the proximity switches and measures the time difference between the two splockets. As the chain elongates, the time difference increases proportionally, and we can measure the elongation of the chain. We installed this measurement system on the drive chain part of an actual escalator and conducted a continuous operation test for about one year to evaluate the measurement accuracy and stability. As a result, stable measurements were achieved throughout the test period, and the measurement accuracy met the target accuracy. This report presents an overview of the system and the results of the long-term operation test.

During an earthquake, elevator operation is restricted by controlled operation because the elevator ropes resonate with the building sway. In this paper, based on the assumption that the elevator can operate even in the event of an earthquake if the vibration of the rope can be estimated and confirmed to be small, an estimation method of lateral vibration of elevator ropes excited by an earthquake while car driving is proposed. In this method, the vibration of the entire rope is estimated by performing a Short Time Fourier Transform on displacement data near the traction sheave and determining the amplitude of each vibration mode of the rope from the amplitude and phase spectra. The estimation accuracy of the proposed method was verified for a main rope excitated by earthquake. The analysis was performed using two types of earthquakes, and it was confirmed that the increase or decrease in rope displacement could be estimated for one earthquake, while for the other earthquake, it was estimated with a large error. Regarding the error, it is possible that the natural frequency of the rope is far from the natural frequency of the building that the rope vibrated at the natural frequency of the building without resonating.

The goal of this research is to operate the elevator while controlling the vibration of the elevator rope during relatively weak earthquakes. When the elevator ascends or descens, the rope length changes. This results in a situation where higher-order vibrations may be excited. Also, changes in rope length can make time-invariant control inefficient or unstable. In this paper, a method is proposed that can suppress the effects of higher-order vibrations and perform efficient control while the elevator is “stopped”. The method uses two types of weight functions: one that adapts to the rope response level and one that evaluates the content of higher-order modal responses. As a performance evaluation, vibration control simulations of the compensating rope on the car side were performed using the proposed control method, and it was confirmed that vibration could be effectively suppressed while preventing spillover of higher-order vibration modes.

Recently, the buildings became taller. Elevator ropes also become longer. The natural period of the elevator rope become closer to that of the building. As a result, the elevator rope may sway intensely when the building receives an external force such as a strong wind and an earthquake. Furthermore the rope may hook to the equipment in the hoistway. The elevator rope with not easily sway is necessary. In this study, we conduct free vibration tests with an element testing equipment and analysis to investigate the relationship between effect factors and damping ratio. Based on the results, we develop a method for estimating rope with higher damping ratio and plan the improvement of the response analysis. In this paper, we conducted free vibration tests with ropes of different rope cores, with or without plating, and configurations. As a result, the main effect factor on damping ratio may be the rope core. We conducted FEM analysis to examine the rope core more. As a result, the friction between the core and strand is likely to have a large effect on the damping ratio.

Elevators are essential for vertical movement in high-rise buildings. However, the rope may be stuck due to a resonance phenomenon that occurs when the natural periods of the rope and the building are close. To ensure the continuous operation of elevators during emergencies such as evacuation and medical transport, the seismic response of elevator ropes needs to be clarified. This study aims to evaluate the influence of building height and location on the seismic response of elevator ropes. Multi-degree-of-freedom models were used to perform a seismic response analysis of a building with various storeys. Seismic waves were taken from multiple locations to consider the difference in seismic wave characteristics. Vibration analysis of the rope was carried out using a finite difference method. The results showed that the rope response is large in high-rise buildings, with the shaking being amplified, especially when the seismic waves have long-period components. Furthermore, the rope resonance is affected by the mass of the elevator car and the length of the rope.