Elevator Glossary
Technical Terms & Definitions
A
Automatic Rescue Device (ARD)
An Automatic Rescue Device (ARD) is an emergency battery-powered system installed in elevators to automatically move a t…
Read definition →Absolute Encoder
An absolute encoder reports a unique position value for every shaft angle, so the drive knows the exact rotor position i…
Read definition →B
Buffer
An elevator buffer is a safety device located at the bottom of the elevator shaft (pit) designed to absorb the kinetic e…
Read definition →Manual Brake Release
Manual brake release is a hand-operated device that allows a trained technician to open the traction machine brake and m…
Read definition →C
Car Frame (Sling)
The car frame, also known as the sling, is the structural steel framework that surrounds and supports the elevator cabin…
Read definition →Car Operating Panel (COP)
The Car Operating Panel (COP) is the control panel located inside the elevator cabin that allows passengers to select fl…
Read definition →CE Marking
CE marking is a mandatory conformity mark for elevators placed on the market within the European Economic Area (EEA). Fo…
Read definition →Center Opening Doors
Center opening elevator doors (also called 2-panel center opening or CO doors) are a type of automatic sliding door wher…
Read definition →Compensation Rope
Compensation ropes (or chains) are installed in high-rise elevators to compensate for the difference in weight of the su…
Read definition →Control Panel
The elevator control panel is the main electrical cabinet that houses the controller, frequency inverter (drive), contac…
Read definition →Elevator Controller
The elevator controller is the brain of the elevator system — a microprocessor-based electronic unit that manages all as…
Read definition →Counterweight
The counterweight is a weighted assembly that moves in the opposite direction to the elevator car within the shaft. Its …
Read definition →Counterweight Frame
The counterweight frame is the steel structure that holds the counterweight filler blocks and connects them to the suspe…
Read definition →Compensation Chain
A compensation chain hangs beneath the car and counterweight to offset the changing weight of the suspension ropes as th…
Read definition →D
Door Operator
The door operator is the electromechanical drive unit mounted on top of the elevator cabin that opens and closes the car…
Read definition →Dumbwaiter
A dumbwaiter is a small freight elevator designed to carry goods (not people) between floors in buildings such as restau…
Read definition →Deflector Pulley
A deflector pulley is an idler wheel that changes the direction of the suspension ropes between the traction sheave and …
Read definition →Door Zone
The door zone is the region above and below floor level within which the car doors are permitted to open. EN 81-20 limit…
Read definition →Destination Control
Destination control, also called destination dispatch, is a system in which passengers enter their target floor at a ter…
Read definition →Car Door Restrictor
A car door restrictor is a mechanical device that prevents the car doors from being opened by more than about 50 millime…
Read definition →Door Dwell Time
Door dwell time is the interval the doors stay fully open before automatic closing begins. It is usually set separately …
Read definition →E
Elevator Cabin (Car)
The elevator cabin, also called the car, is the enclosure in which passengers or goods are transported between floors. I…
Read definition →Elevator Pit
The elevator pit is the portion of the elevator shaft that extends below the level of the lowest landing served by the e…
Read definition →EN 81-20 Standard
EN 81-20 is the primary European harmonised safety standard for the construction and installation of passenger and goods…
Read definition →Encoder
An encoder in an elevator system is an electromechanical sensor attached to the traction machine or motor shaft that mea…
Read definition →Elevator Brake
An elevator brake is a fail-safe electromagnetic brake mounted on the traction machine that holds the car stationary at …
Read definition →EN 81-70
EN 81-70 is the European standard covering accessibility to lifts for persons including persons with disability. It defi…
Read definition →EN 81-72
EN 81-72 is the European standard for firefighters lifts, defining the additional requirements that let a lift be used b…
Read definition →EN 81-80 (SNEL)
EN 81-80 is the European standard for improving the safety of existing passenger and goods passenger lifts, known as SNE…
Read definition →EN 81-50 Standard
EN 81-50 is the European standard that sets out the design rules, calculations, examinations and tests of lift component…
Read definition →F
Firefighters Operation
Firefighters operation (also called Fireman Service or Fire Recall) is a mandatory special operating mode in elevators t…
Read definition →Freight Elevator (Goods Lift)
A freight elevator, also called a goods lift, is an elevator designed specifically for transporting goods, cargo, vehicl…
Read definition →Final Limit Switch
The final limit switch is a safety switch placed just beyond the top and bottom terminal landings that removes power fro…
Read definition →G
Geared Traction Machine
A geared traction machine is an elevator drive unit where the motor drives the sheave through a gearbox (typically a wor…
Read definition →Gearless Traction Machine
A gearless traction machine is an elevator drive unit where the motor directly drives the sheave without a gearbox. Thes…
Read definition →Governor Rope (Speed Governor)
The overspeed governor is a mechanical safety device that monitors the speed of the elevator car by means of a tensioned…
Read definition →Guide Rails
Guide rails are precision-machined steel T-section tracks installed vertically inside the elevator shaft to guide the mo…
Read definition →Guide Shoe
A guide shoe is a sliding component fixed to the car frame and counterweight that runs along the guide rails and keeps t…
Read definition →Group Control
Group control is the supervisory logic that dispatches two or more elevators serving the same floors as a coordinated ba…
Read definition →Guide Rail Bracket
A guide rail bracket is the steel fixing that ties the guide rails to the shaft wall and transfers guiding and safety ge…
Read definition →H
Headroom (Overhead)
Headroom, also called overhead, is the vertical distance from the level of the top landing floor to the underside of the…
Read definition →Home Lift (Residential Lift)
A home lift, also called a private residence lift or residential elevator, is an elevator designed specifically for inst…
Read definition →Hospital Elevator (Bed Elevator)
A hospital elevator, also known as a bed elevator or stretcher elevator, is a specialised passenger elevator designed to…
Read definition →Hydraulic Elevator
A hydraulic elevator uses a hydraulic cylinder (jack) driven by a hydraulic power unit to raise and lower the elevator c…
Read definition →Hydraulic Power Unit (HPU)
The hydraulic power unit (HPU) is the assembly consisting of the electric motor, hydraulic pump, oil tank, control valve…
Read definition →I
Door Interlock (Door Lock)
The door interlock, also called the door lock or landing door lock, is a mechanical and electrical safety device fitted …
Read definition →ISO 9001
ISO 9001 is the international standard for Quality Management Systems (QMS), published by the International Organization…
Read definition →Inspection Control Station
An inspection control station is the portable or fixed control unit on the car roof, in the pit and in the machinery spa…
Read definition →L
Landing Door (Hatch Door)
Landing doors, also called hatch doors or hall doors, are the doors at each floor level of the building that provide acc…
Read definition →Landing Operating Panel (LOP)
The Landing Operating Panel (LOP), also called the hall call panel or floor call station, is the push-button panel insta…
Read definition →Load Weighing Device
A load weighing device is a sensor system — typically a strain gauge, load cell, or pressure sensor — installed in the e…
Read definition →Light Curtain
A light curtain is an infrared safety edge fitted to the car door that projects a grid of beams across the door opening …
Read definition →M
Machine Room
The machine room is the dedicated room, usually located at the top of the elevator shaft or adjacent to it, that houses …
Read definition →Machine Room Less (MRL)
Machine Room Less (MRL) is an elevator design where all drive and control equipment is installed within the elevator sha…
Read definition →Elevator Modernization
Elevator modernization is the renewal of the worn parts of an existing lift while the shaft, and usually the guide rails…
Read definition →O
1:1 Roping
1:1 roping (one-to-one roping) is the standard suspension arrangement for traction elevators in which the hoisting ropes…
Read definition →Overspeed Governor
The overspeed governor is a centrifugal mechanical device that continuously monitors the speed of the elevator car throu…
Read definition →Oil Buffer
An oil buffer is a hydraulic energy-dissipation device installed in the pit that decelerates the car or counterweight if…
Read definition →Overload Sensor
An overload sensor detects when the load in the car exceeds the rated load and prevents the lift from starting. EN 81-20…
Read definition →P
Panoramic Elevator
A panoramic elevator, also called an observation elevator or scenic elevator, is an elevator with transparent (glass) wa…
Read definition →Platform Lift
A platform lift is a lifting device designed to transport wheelchair users and people with reduced mobility between leve…
Read definition →R
Rated Load (Capacity)
The rated load is the maximum mass (in kilograms) for which the elevator is designed and built to carry. For passenger e…
Read definition →Rated Speed
Rated speed is the speed at which the elevator car is designed to travel under rated load conditions, expressed in metre…
Read definition →Roller Guide
A roller guide is a guiding assembly with three spring-loaded rollers that run on the machined faces of the guide rail, …
Read definition →Rope Fastening
Rope fastening is the termination that connects the suspension ropes to the car frame and counterweight. The most common…
Read definition →Regenerative Drive
A regenerative drive is a variable-frequency drive that returns braking energy to the building supply instead of dissipa…
Read definition →Relevelling
Relevelling is the automatic correction of car position when it drifts away from floor level while the doors are open, t…
Read definition →Retiring Cam
A retiring cam is an electrically or mechanically actuated arm on the car door that extends to release the landing door …
Read definition →S
Safety Circuit
The safety circuit (or safety chain) is an electrical circuit consisting of a series of normally-closed safety contacts …
Read definition →Safety Gear
Safety gear is a mechanical braking device mounted on the car frame (and sometimes the counterweight frame) that clamps …
Read definition →Scissor Lift
A scissor lift is a type of hydraulic or electro-mechanical work platform that uses a pantograph (scissor) mechanism to …
Read definition →Sheave (Drive Sheave)
The drive sheave, also called the traction sheave or pulley, is the grooved wheel mounted on the shaft of the traction m…
Read definition →Side Opening Doors
Side opening elevator doors (also called single-panel or SO doors) are automatic sliding doors where one or more door pa…
Read definition →Spring Buffer
A spring buffer is an energy-accumulation buffer fitted in the pit that compresses to absorb the impact of a car or coun…
Read definition →T
Traction Elevator
A traction elevator is the most common type of electric elevator, in which the car is raised and lowered by steel wire r…
Read definition →Travel Distance (Rise)
Travel distance, also called rise or lift travel, is the vertical distance between the lowest and highest floor levels s…
Read definition →2:1 Roping
2:1 roping (two-to-one roping) is an elevator suspension arrangement where the hoisting ropes are attached to a fixed po…
Read definition →Terminal Slowdown Switch
A terminal slowdown switch is a shaft-mounted switch near the top and bottom landings that forces the drive to reduce sp…
Read definition →Type Examination
Type examination is the conformity assessment in which a notified body verifies that a representative sample of a safety…
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