Indonesia Elevator Guide:Glossary
From Indonesia Elevator Guide
This is a glossary of elevator-related terms that are used on this wiki. Below here are some of the terms along with their meanings.
This list is regularly updated, so check back often.
General
- Arrival chime: A mechanical or electronic sound that indicates the arrival of an elevator, usually sounds before the doors open.
- Automatic Rescue Device (ARD): A battery powered device which automatically sends an elevator to the nearest floor in case of a power outage. Also known as "emergency landing device".
- Buffer: A device that prevents the elevator car from crashing to the pit. One is installed in the middle of the pit for the car and another on the side for the counterweight. It can be a spring or oil pressure type.
- Control cabinet: A metal box or cabinet containing the operating control of the elevator.
- Counterweight: A weight that provides balance and stability of a traction elevator. In general, it is heavier than the elevator car.
- Car/cabin: A large metal box or cage for carrying passengers and freights. One of the major parts of an elevator.
- Elevator: A device for carrying passengers and freights that runs up and down (vertically) in a building.
- Fixtures: A set of devices for operating the elevator. These include operating panels, push buttons, floor indicators, hall lanterns, etc.
- Floor selector: A mechanical device in the elevator machine room used for detecting the car position in the shaft. It is used in older elevators with relay controls.
- Governor: A safety device that detects if an elevator is significantly overspeeding and stops it. If the speed is exceeded, it cuts off the safety circuit, electrically stops the elevator, and locks the governor rope to activate the emergency stop device on the car side.
- Guiderails: A set of two metal rails in the elevator shaft that "guides" the elevator whilst traveling up and down.
- Hydraulic tank / resevoir: A metal container that contains the hydraulic fluid for hydraulic driven elevators.
- Landing/hall: Area outside the elevator.
- Machine room: A permanent room that houses the elevator motor, controller and other related equipment. Mostly located above the elevator shaft, but some are located on the bottom most floor adjacent to the shaft (especially in hydraulic installations).
- Machine room less: An elevator that doesn't have a permanent machine room with the intention to save space in the building. In this cass, the motor is inside the elevator shaft.
- Microprocessor control: A type of elevator control using a computer processor. It is now the mainstream type used since the 1980s and is often considered as a successor of relay controls.
- Remote monitoring: A software that remotely monitors the current status and condition of an elevator in real time, as well as providing necessary information related with the elevator operation.
- Modernization: A process of upgrading an old elevator by replacing obsolete components with new ones to make it more efficient and user friendly. It also prolongs the elevator's lifespan.
- Motor: An electric device that drives the elevator.
- Geared motor: Traction elevator motor using worm or helical gears. It is now rarely seen as new installations due to the widespread use of gearless motors.
- Gearless motor: Traction elevator motor without gears. It is now the most commonly used type.
- Hydraulic pump: Motor that drives a hydraulic elevator.
- Out of service: Elevator is temporarily withdrawn from service.
- Overload: The maximum load of the elevator is exceeded. It will not move until the load is reduced to a certain amount.
- Pit: The bottom most level of an elevator shaft.
- Relay control: A type of elevator control using mechanical relays. This was the control type used before the 1980s.
- Refurbishment: A small scale elevator upgrade by simply renovating the car interior and replacing the fixtures to make it more attractive and user friendly, while keeping the rest of the existing components intact.
- Replacement: Full replacement of old elevator into a brand new one.
- Shaft: A space where the elevator moves up and down.
- Signalization: A term by Kone for elevator fixtures.
- Supervisory panel: A special panel for monitoring an elevator locally in the building. Often found in building control room or elevator lobby.
Operating devices and interfaces
- Alarm button: A special button for activating the elevator alarm in case of emergency. The alarm can be mechanical or electronic. Nowadays most elevators have their alarm integrated with an intercom which is automatically connected to the building control room or even elevator service center.
- Call buttons: Button(s) used for calling the elevator from outside.
- Car buttons: A set of buttons used for operating the elevator inside the elevator car. These include buttons for selecting floors, opening and closing the door, and activating the emergency alarm and/or intercom.
- COP: Shorts for "Car operating panel". A panel contains buttons to operate the elevator located inside the elevator car.
- Front mounted panel: COP mounted on the wall adjacent to the car door. The user must turn around to reach it upon entering the elevator.
- Side mounted panel: COP mounted on the side of the car wall.
- Wheelchair panel: An extra COP for wheelchair user. It is much smaller and mounted on the side wall at wheelchair height.
- Direction indicator: An indicator light that shows the elevator's direction of travel.
- Door control buttons: Buttons found inside the elevator for opening and closing the door.
- Door hold button: A button for holding the door open for a specified amount of time. Commonly used for loading and unloading freights.
- Fixtures: Components used for operating the elevator, such as COP, LOP, floor indicators, hall lanterns, etc.
- Floor indicator: A device located inside and/or outside the elevator that shows the current position of the elevator car in the shaft. Can be an analog (for most older elevators prior to the 1980s, and rarely newer ones) and digital (for most modern elevators since the 1980s).
- Car floor indicator: The floor indicator in the elevator car.
- Landing floor indicator: The floor indicator outside the elevator.
- Hall lanterns: A pair of lights in the elevator hall that indicate the arrival of an elevator when they light up.
- Intercom: A two-way communication device between the elevator car and building control room. It is commonly used for emergency purpose.
- Keyswitch: A switch that is activated by a key.
- LOP: Shorts for "Landing operating panel". A panel contains button(s) to call the elevator located outside the elevator or in the elevator hall.
- Service cabinet: A small locked compartment on the lower part of the COP that houses switches and buttons for maintenance purposes.
Types of elevators
By usage/purpose
- Passenger elevator: An elevator that is intended only for general passenger use.
- Service elevator: An elevator that is intended for both passenger use and freight transportation.
- Bed elevator: An elevator that is designed for carrying stretcher in a hospital. Also called "stretcher elevator".
- Freight elevator: An elevator that is intended only for carrying freights. It is generally large and passengers are often not allowed to use it.
- Panoramic elevator: An elevator with a transparent glass wall that provides a view of the surroundings. Also called "scenic elevator".
- Home / residential elevator: A small elevator designed for private homes and residential buildings.
- Fireman's elevator: An elevator designed for firefighting purposes.
- Dumbwaiter: A very small sized elevator that is intended only for carrying small objects like foods, books, documents, etc. It cannot be used for passengers.
By drive type
- Traction elevator: An elevator that is driven by steel ropes and electric motor. The car and counterweight are connected by a rope via a hoist to maintain balance and operate efficiently. It can be with or without machine room.
- Hydraulic elevator: An elevator that is driven by a hydraulic jack which is raised and lowered by a hydraulic pump motor. Can be holed, holeless and roped type.
- AC drive: Driving method using alternative current (AC) motor.
- Single speed AC control: The way the elevator decelerates without switching to a lower speed first, in other words, abrupt stop. The disadvantage if it is that the impact upon stopping is strong and leveling accuracy is poor.
- Two speed AC control: The way the elevator decelerate using a lower speed after switching from a full speed. The disadvantage if it is that both the ride comfort and leveling accuracy is poor.
- Inverter control: The way the elevator accelerates and decelerates smoothly by using variable voltage and variable frequency (VVVF, changing voltage and frequency) control. The ride comfort and leveling accuracy is much better compared to a conventional two speed AC control. It has been used since the mid 1980s and is now the mainstream type. Often known as "AC VVVF".
- DC drive: Driving method using direct current (DC) motor and Ward Leonard control to provide faster speed and more accurate speed control. Until the 1980s, it was mostly paired with a motor generator set.
- Motor generator (MG): A device for converting electrical power to another form. It was widely used in DC driven elevators until the 1980s. Nowadays it is considered as an obsolete technology due to its disadvantages of being noisy, require more maintenance and consume a lot of electricity.
- Landing door: The door that separates the elevator shaft and hall.
- Car door: The door inside the elevator car.
- Center opening: A door consists of two panels with one panel opens to the left and the other to the right.
- 2 or 3 panel side opening: A door consists of two or three panels that opens sideway.
- 4 or 6 panel center opening: A door consists of four or six panels that opens in the same way as center opening door.
- Door bumper: A metallic bar that reopens the door when comes in contact with a person or object.
- Door sensors: An electronic device using infrared beams that reopens the door when the beams get obstructed by a person or object.
- Door sills: The base where the elevator door slides open and close.
- Doorway: A narrow space between the shaft and car where the door slides open and close.
- Nudge mode: A mode that forces an elevator to close its door at slower speed after the door has been held open for too long. In this mode, a buzzer will sound until the door has closed.
Trademarks
- E-Link: Remote elevator monitoring software of Kone.
- EcoDisc: Green colored gearless motor of Kone used in most its traction elevator models such as Kone MonoSpace, Kone MiniSpace and Kone TranSys.
- EMS Panorama: Remote elevator monitoring software of Otis. EMS stands for "Elevator Monitoring System".
- MELD: Automatic rescue device of Mitsubishi produced since the mid 1970s. Shorts for "Mitsubishi Emergency Landing Device".
- REM: Remote elevator monitoring system of Otis. Shorts for "Remote Elevator Monitoring".
- Servitel: Remote elevator monitoring system of Schindler.
Others
- Elevator enthusiast: A person who has an interest with an elevator and other forms of vertical transportation.
- Elevator community: A group of people with an interest of elevator and other forms of vertical transportation.
- Voice announcement: A synthesized speech that announces the elevator position, travel direction, door opening and closing, and other information related to the elevator operation.