ELEVATOR ARRANGEMENT AND METHOD IN ELEVATOR MAINTENANCE
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an elevator arrangement as
defined in the preamble of claim 1 and to a method as de-
fined in the preamble of claim 16.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
There are various prior-art elevator safety devices which
can be used to create a temporary safety space at the end
of an elevator shaft. The commonest arrangement for this,
purpose is to use mechanical stoppers arranged to stop the
elevator car and prevent it from moving all the way to the
end of the elevator shaft. In prior art, this is proposed
to be implemented using e.g. at least one movable mechani-
cal stopper attached to the elevator shaft and arranged to
be moved into the path of a mechanical stopper attached to
the elevator car. In this type of solutions, when the stop-
pers in the elevator shaft are in an activated state, the
elevator car can only move until the aforesaid mutually
aligned stoppers meet, preventing the elevator car from
moving further. In this way, the movement of the elevator
car can be restricted e.g. for as long as a serviceman is
working on the top of the elevator car or on the bottom of
the elevator shaft. Otherwise the serviceman would be li-
able to being squeezed between the elevator car and the end
of the elevator shaft. In alternative solutions, a movable
stopper is attached to the elevator car, from the top of
which it can be activated by moving it to a position which,
as seen in the direction of motion of the car, is aligned
with an immovable stopper fixed in place in the elevator
shaft. Prior art is described inter alia in patent publica-
tions EP1473264, EP1604934, EP1674416A1 and FR2795060A1.
One of the problems involved in prior-art solutions is that,
the stoppers have to be activated from a position in their
vicinity. For this reason, the person activating the stop-

pers consequently has to be at a certain location in the
elevator shaft. Moreover, the movable stoppers must be ac-
tivated one by one. Especially in safety equipment solu-
tions where expressly the stoppers in the elevator shaft
are movable, it is difficult to activate the stoppers in a
simple and fast manner because the stoppers are often
placed at a large distance from each other. Thus, for exam-
ple, in order to activate a safety device, the serviceman
has had to get to the bottom floor, open the landing door
with a service key and move the stopper in the elevator
shaft pit manually to an activated position. To activate
the upper safety device, the serviceman has had to get to
-the top of the elevator car in order to activate the stop-
per.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
The object of the invention is to overcome i.a., some of-the
above-mentioned drawbacks of prior-art solutions. The in-
vention aims at producing advantages including one or more
of the following:
- A. number of stoppers and/or switches in an elevator
shaft or equivalent can be activated at a time.
- A serviceman can activate a stopper/switch or a number
of stoppers/switches that is/are not in his vicinity.
- The serviceman need not be at a certain location in
order to activate the stoppers and/or switches in the
elevator shaft or equivalent.
- Stoppers and/or switches attached to the elevator
shaft or equivalent can be activated from a landing
door opening without entering the elevator shaft. The
stopper(s) and/or switches can preferably be activated
even from the door openings of landings at which no
elevator car is present in the elevator shaft at the
moment of activation and which are located at a con-
siderable distance from the shaft bottom.
- A reliable and safe working space in a desired part of
the elevator shaft is achieved.

- Safe and simple simultaneous activation of the stop-
pers and/or switches in the elevator shaft is
achieved.
- An elevator arrangement whose safety device can be
safely activated is achieved.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The arrangement of the invention is characterized by what
is disclosed in the characterizing part of claim 1. The
method of the invention is characterized by what is dis-
closed in the characterizing part of claim 16. Other em-
bodiments of the invention are characterized by what is
disclosed in the other claims. Inventive embodiments are
also presented in the description part and drawings of the
present application. The inventive content disclosed in the
application can also be. defined in other ways than is done
in the claims below. The inventive content of the applica-
tion can also be defined in other ways than those used in
the claims below. The inventive content may also consist of
several separate inventions, especially if the invention is
considered in the light of explicit or implicit sub-tasks or
with respect to advantages or sets of advantages achieved.
In this case, some of the attributes contained in the claims
below may be superfluous from the point of view of separate
inventive concepts. The features of different embodiments
of the invention can be applied in connection with other
embodiments within the scope of the basic inventive con-
cept.
One of the objects of the present invention, is to achieve
an arrangement that will allow a shiftable element, such as
e.g. a stopper, sensor, switch or the like, to be shifted
from one state to another in a manner that does not require
the person performing the shifting operation to be in the
immediate vicinity of the said element and/or at a given
location. According to the invention, the elevator arrange-
ment is provided for this purpose with activating means
comprising a flexible element, such as e.g. a rope or

equivalent, movably attached to a fixed structure of an
elevator shaft or equivalent. The flexible element is con-
nected to the said shiftable element. The shiftable element
can thus be shifted by means of the flexible element be-
tween an activated state and an inactivated state.
According to the invention, the elevator arrangement com-
prises an elevator car arranged to move in an elevator
shaft or equivalent, preferably along car guide rails, and
an element disposed in the elevator shaft or equivalent and
arranged to be shiftable between an activated state (II)
and an inactivated state (I) , and activating means for
shifting the said element between the activated (II) and
inactivated (I) states. The said activating means comprise
a flexible element, such as e.g. a rope or equivalent,
movably attached to a fixed structure of the elevator shaft
or equivalent, and this flexible element is connected to
the said shiftable element in a manner permitting the
shiftable element to be shifted by means of the said flexi-
ble element.
In an embodiment of the invention, the shiftable element is
in the activated state (II) in a first position and in the
inactivated state (I) in a second position, this second po-
sition being different from the- first position, between
which first and second positions the shiftable element is
arranged to be shifted by moving it by means of the flexi-
ble element.
In an embodiment of the invention, the shiftable element is
a mechanical stopper.
In an embodiment of the invention, the shiftable element is
a safety switch.
In an embodiment of the invention, when the shiftable ele-
ment is in the activated state (II), the arrangement forms
a temporary safety space in a part of the elevator shaft,
preferably at the upper and/or lower ends/end.

In an embodiment of the invention, the flexible element is
so disposed in the elevator shaft or equivalent that it ex-
tends in the traveling direction of the elevator car
through a distance corresponding to at least one floor-to-
floor distance, preferably at least from a height at the
level of one landing door opening to a height at the level
of another landing door opening.
In an embodiment of the invention, the. flexible element is.
so disposed in the elevator shaft or equivalent that it ex-
tends in the traveling direction of the elevator car
through a distance corresponding to at least one floor-to-
floor distance, preferably at least from a height located
at the level of one landing door opening to a height lo-
cated at the level of another landing door opening, and
that the shiftable element is a mechanical stopper arranged
to be shifted between states (I and II) by moving it by
means of the flexible element transversely relative to the
elevator shaft between the activated position (II), at
which the stopper is in alignment with a stopper attached
to the elevator, car as seen in the direction of motion of
the elevator car, and the inactivated position (I), at
which the stopper is out of alignment with the stopper at-
tached to the elevator car.
In an embodiment of the invention, the flexible element is
connected to a number of shiftable elements so as to allow
them to be shifted simultaneously between the activated
state (II) and the inactivated state (I).
In an embodiment of the invention, the flexible element is
passed around at least one idle wheel.
In an embodiment of the invention, the flexible element
passes around an idle wheel, and the portion of the flexi-
ble element on a first side of the idle wheel and the por-
tion (31b) of the flexible element on a second side of the
idle wheel are attached to an element swivellably mounted

on a fixed structure of the elevator shaft or equivalent,
said element preferably being a rocker arm or equivalent.
In an embodiment of the invention, the flexible element
passes around an idle wheel, and the portion of the flexi-
ble element on a first side of said idle wheel is connected
to a shiftable element and the portion of the flexible ele-
ment on a second side of said idle wheel is connected to
another shiftable element.
In an embodiment of the invention, at least some of the ac-
tivating means are attached to a guide rail in the elevator
shaft, preferably to a car guide rail.
In an embodiment of the invention, the shiftable element is
a mechanical stopper arranged to be moved transversely
relative to the elevator shaft between an activated posi-
tion (II), at which position the stopper is in alignment
with the stopper attached to the elevator car as seen in
the direction of motion of the elevator car, and an inacti-
vated position (I), at which position the stopper is out of
alignment with the stopper attached to the elevator car.
In an embodiment of the invention, the stopper attached to
the elevator car is a stopper for activating the safety
gear.
In an embodiment of the invention, the flexible element is
arranged to run at a close distance from at least one,
preferably all of the landing doors, preferably at a dis-
tance of below 70 cm from a vertical edge of the landing
door opening, to make it possible to move the flexible ele-
ment manually via an opened landing door.
According to the invention, in a method in elevator mainte-
nance, at least one shiftable element comprised in the ele-
vator is shifted between an inactivated state and an acti-
vated state e.g. in order to provide, a safety space in at
least a part of the elevator shaft. In the method, the

shiftable element is shifted by means of a flexible ele-
ment .
In an embodiment of the invention, the flexible element is
so disposed in the elevator shaft or equivalent that it ex-
tends in the traveling direction of the elevator car
through a distance corresponding to at least one floor-to- ,
floor distance, and that the shiftable element is a me-
chanical stopper which is shifted between states by moving
it by means of the flexible element transversely relative
to the direction of the elevator shaft between an activated
position, at which the stopper is in alignment with the
stopper attached to the elevator car as seen in the direc-
tion of motion of the elevator car, and an inactivated po-
sition, at which the stopper is out of alignment with the
stopper attached to the elevator car.
the flexible element is so disposed in the elevator shaft
or equivalent that it extends in the traveling direction of
the elevator car at least through a distance corresponding
to one floor-to-floor distance,
In an embodiment of the method of the invention, the
shiftable element is shifted by means of the flexible ele-
ment by moving the flexible element, from a distance from
the shiftable element corresponding to at least one floor-
to-floor distance, preferably by moving the flexible ele-
ment manually by pulling the flexible element in its longi-
tudinal direction.
LIST OF FIGURES
In the following, the invention will be described in detail
by referring to a few example embodiments in combination
with the attached drawings, wherein
Fig. 1 presents a diagrammatic side view of an elevator ar-
rangement according to. an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 presents a diagrammatic side view of an elevator ar-
rangement according to a second embodiment of the inven-
tion.
Fig. 3 presents a diagrammatic side view of an elevator ar-
rangement according to a third embodiment of the invention.
Fig. 4 presents a diagrammatic cross-section of an elevator
shaft which is advantageous in the elevator arrangements in
the embodiments according to Figs. 1-3 and 5, inter alia.
Fig. 5 presents a diagram of an elevator arrangement ac-
cording to a fourth embodiment of the invention, depicted
in three-dimensional view.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Fig. 1 represents an arrangement according to an embodiment
of the invention. Mounted on a fixed structure of the ele-
vator shaft or equivalent, preferably on a guide rail, is a
stopper 5 supported by an axle 9 and swivelable about said
axle 9. Attached to the stopper 5 is a flexible element 1,
preferably a rope, in such manner that, by pulling at the
rope, the stopper 5 can be swiveled from position I, de-
picted in broken lines, to position II, depicted in solid
lines, thus causing a part of the stopper to move trans-
versely relative to the shaft into the path of. a stopper 2
attached to the elevator car C, said path extending in a
vertical direction in the figure. Correspondingly, when the
rope is loosened, the stopper swivels put of the position
depicted in the figure due to the weight exerted by its
center of gravity. The rope extends from the stopper
mounted at the upper end of the shaft S to a level close to
the lower end of the shaft, thus allowing the position of
the stopper 5 to be changed by means of the rope from the
vicinity of the lower end of the shaft, but also from posi-
tions along the distance between the stopper and the lower
end of the shaft. After the stopper has been shifted to the
desired position, it is preferably locked in that position
by preventing movement of the rope. This can be effected
e.g. by fastening the rope to a hook (not shown) mounted in
the shaft. The figure shows only one stopper 5 attached to

the rope 1, but the lower end of the rope can additionally
be attached to a shiftable stopper provided at the lower
end of the shaft.
Fig. 2 represents an arrangement according to a second em-
bodiment of the invention. Mounted on a fixed structure of
the elevator shaft or equivalent S, preferably on a guide
rail, are shiftable elements, which in the figure are stop-
pers 15 supported by axles 19 secured to the shaft S, said
stoppers 15 being swivelable about said axles 19. Attached
to the stoppers 15 is a flexible element 11, which prefera-
bly is a rope, so that, by moving the rope 11 in its longi-
tudinal direction by the portion between the stoppers, the
stoppers 15 can be swiveled between the activated position
II depicted in solid lines in the figure and position I de-
picted in broken lines, thereby causing a part of each
stopper to move transversely relative to the shaft so that
it comes into alignment with the path (vertical in the fig-
ure) of a stopper 2 attached to the elevator car C or out
of alignment with it. There are two stoppers 15 attached to
the rope 1. The rope 1 passes around an idle wheel 16 ro-
tatably secured to the shaft S, the part 11a of the flexi-
ble element on a first side the pulley being attached to a
stopper while the part 11b of the flexible element on a
second side is attached to a second stopper. One of the ad-
vantages provided by the idle wheel is that, by moving the
rope in one direction, the stoppers at the upper and lower
ends of the shaft can be swiveled in mutually opposite di-
rections. This is advantageous because, when a safety space
is to be formed at the upper end, it is necessary to be
able to stop especially upward movement of the elevator
car, and when a safety space is to be formed at the lower
end, downward motion has to be stopped.
Fig. 3 represents an arrangement according to a third em-
bodiment of the invention. Mounted on a fixed structure of
the elevator shaft or equivalent S, preferably on a guide
rail, are shiftable elements in a manner corresponding to
that described in connection with the preceding embodi-

ments, said shiftable elements in the figure being stoppers
25 supported by axles 29 and swivelably movable about said
axles 29. Attached to the stoppers 25 is a flexible element
21 (connection points 23), which preferably is a rope, so
that, by moving the rope 21 in its longitudinal direction
by the portion between the stoppers, the stoppers 25 can be
swiveled between the activated position II depicted in
solid lines in the figure and position I depicted in broken
lines, thereby causing a part of each stopper to move
transversely relative to the shaft so that it comes into
alignment with the path of a stopper 2 attached to the ele-
vator car C or out of alignment with it, which path in the
figure extends in a vertical direction. There are two stop-
pers 25 attached to the rope 21. The rope 21 passes around
idle wheels 26 rotatably secured to the shaft S. The part
21a of the flexible element on a first side the upper pul-
ley is attached to one stopper while the part 21b of the
flexible element on a second side is attached to the other
stopper. This solution comprises two idle wheels. One of
the advantages is that the force exerted by the flexible
element on the stoppers due to its weight does not change
essentially when the flexible element is being moved, be-
cause the rope forms an endless loop. A further advantage
is that each stopper can be moved forcibly in both direc-
tions by means of the flexible element, and it is not nec-
essary to utilize the center of gravity or to use a spring-
loaded arrangement. Alternatively, the arrangement at the
lower end in the solution of Fig. 3 could be implemented as
illustrated in Fig. 5 (see part 37), this solution also
having the aforesaid advantages.
In Figs. 1-3, the inactivated position I of the stoppers 5,
15 and 25 is indicated by broken lines. In this position,
the stopper is out of alignment with the stopper/stoppers 2
attached to the elevator car as seen in the direction of
motion of the elevator car C. The range of movement of each
stopper is limited by a limiter element 8, 18, 28 attached
to a' fixed structure of the elevator shaft or equivalent.
The limiter elements are fitted in the vicinity of the

stoppers 5, 15 and 25 so that they prevent the activated
stoppers from moving away from the path of the stopper 2
attached to the elevator car when the stoppers collide as
the elevator car is moving towards the end of the elevator
shaft S from the direction of its position depicted in the
figures. Each stopper is preferably fitted at a distance
from the. end of the shaft S such that, when the elevator
car hits the movable stopper, there remains between the car
and the shaft end a space required for safety to ensure
that a human being will not be crushed in between.
Fig. 4 represents a cross-section of the elevator shaft at
the level of a landing door. The cross-section depicted
here is advantageous in the elevator arrangements of all
embodiments. The flexible element 1, 11, 21 or 31 is ar-
ranged to run close by at least one, preferably all of the
landing doors as seen from above in the cross-sectional
view of the shaft, preferably at a distance of below 70 cm
from a vertical edge (the left edge in the figure) of the
landing door opening D, to allow the flexible element to be
moved manually via an opened landing door. The upper rope,
which is depicted with a broken line in the figure, is not
present in the embodiment according to Fig. 1. In the fig-
ure, the guide rails are disposed as for a ruck-sack type
elevator, but they may also be disposed differently. The
essential point is that the rope 1, 21, 22 or 32 is close
enough to the landing door opening D to permit the activa-
tion to be effected from the opening D.
Fig. 5 represents a solution where a flexible element,
preferably a rope 31, passes around an idle wheel 36, and
the portion 31a of the flexible element on a first side of
said idle wheel 36 is connected (connection point 43) by a
rod 45 to a shiftable element, which is a stopper 35. The
rod 45, to which the stopper 35 is rigidly attached, is
mounted on a guide rail 4 in a manner permitting it to
swivel about a pivot 39. The portion 31a of the flexible
element on the first side of the idle wheel 36 and the por-

tion 31b of the flexible element on the second side are at-
tached to an element 37 swivelably attached to the guide
rail 4, said element being a rocker arm limiting the range
of motion of the flexible element.
The figure shows the stopper 35 in the activated position
II, in which position the stopper 35 would be in alignment
with the stopper (not shown) attached to the elevator car
and moving in a direction parallel with the guide rail 4.
By moving the rope 31 so that its portion 31b moves down-
wards in the figure, the rod 45 and the stopper 35 attached
to it are caused to swivel (counter-clockwise in the fig-
ure) about the pivot 39 disposed at the end of a supporting
element 40 so that the stopper 35 is shifted into a verti-
cal position away from the path of the stopper attached to
the elevator car (not shown). The solution presented in the
figure is intended especially for solutions where a safety
gear mounted on the elevator car is triggered by a stopper
placed in the elevator shaft. Since after the start of
safety gear action the elevator car goes on moving through
some distance (downwards in the figure), the supporting
element 40 is so implemented that it has a play allowing
the stopper 35 supported by it to move, being pushed by the
stopper attached to the elevator car, in the direction of
motion of the elevator car through a certain distance after
the stoppers have met. The supporting element 40 is mounted
on a plate 41 secured to the guide rail 4 and, in the solu-
tion described, comprises telescopingly movable parts and
is provided with a spring tending to resist the motion of
the stopper 35 as it is pushed by the elevator car. The
spring is" adapted to have a force sufficient to activate
safety gear action. To make safety gear action possible,
the stopper attached to the elevator car is connected,
preferably via a lever system, to at least one safety gear
mounted on the elevator car. Thus, in this arrangement, the
stopper 35 can be moved into the activated position II into
the path of the stopper attached to the elevator car and
connected to the safety gear (not shown).

The solution in Fig. 5 preferably comprises sensors 42 and
44 to permit detection of the state of the stopper 35 based
on the position of the rod 45. The sensor 44 attached to
the rod 45 preferably comprises a roller which, when in the
activated position, is pressed against the guide rail 4.
When pressed against the guide rail, the roller transmits
data indicating the state of the stopper to the elevator
control system. This provides the advantage that the sensor
remains activated as the stopper 5 is moving after the
stopper attached to the elevator car has hit it.
The solution presented in Fig. 5 is particularly well
adapted for creating a safety space at the lower end, be-
cause decelerating an elevator car moving downwards re-
quires (especially in the case of elevators without coun-
terweight) more braking power than decelerating an elevator
car moving upwards. In the solution described here, the
stopper need not be dimensioned according to the braking
power required to decelerate the car (and a possible coun-
terweight) but according to the power required to trigger
the safety gear. However, the solution is also applicable
for use in other types of arrangement besides those de-
scribed above, e.g. when the stopper attached to the eleva-
tor car is not a stopper connected to a safety gear. In
this case, it may i.a. be unnecessary to provide the sup-
porting element 40 with vertical play, and the pivot 39 may
be secured in a more straightforward manner to a guide rail
4 or some other fixed structure of the elevator. Moreover,
it is possible to connect other shiftable stoppers to the
rope 31, e.g. a stopper for an upper safety space. The lat-
ter stopper is preferably connected to portion 31a of the
rope, so that the activation direction is reverse to that
for the stopper included in the lower safety device, due to
the opposite direction of motion of the elevator car.
In all embodiments, the stoppers are preferably each fitted
at a distance from the end of the shaft S such that, when
the elevator car hits a movable stopper, there remains be-
tween the car and the shaft end a space required for safety

to ensure that a human being will not be squeezed between
them. In the figures, swivelable mechanical stoppers are
presented, but each mechanical stopper could also be imple-
mented in some other way. The stopper may be e.g. an ele-
ment moving back and forth like a slide and arranged to be
moved transversely relative to the elevator shaft so that
vertical motion of the flexible element in the direction of
the elevator shaft is converted into horizontal back-and-
forth motion of the stopper by means of pivoted levers pro-
vided between the stopper and the flexible element e.g. in
a manner corresponding to the way in which longitudinal mo-
tion of the timing belt in automobiles is converted by
means of a connecting rod and a piston xod into reciprocat-
ing motion of the piston. In this embodiment, the limiting
elements are preferably placed above and below the stopper,
between which limiting elements the stopper can move hori-
zontally back and forth. However, a limiting element may
also be placed only above or below the stopper so that the
limiting element remains between the stopper and that end
of the shaft in whose vicinity the stopper is located.
In all embodiments, the basic state of the position of the
stoppers can be chosen to be fail-safe by adapting the cen-
ter of gravity of each stopper to be so located relative to
the pivot, of the stopper that the stopper will swivel in
the desired direction e.g.. if the flexible element is bro-
ken. In the figures, the stoppers are depicted in an in-
dicative manner and the center of gravity of each stopper
is also its center of surface area. In practice, the posi-
tion of the gravitational center can be altered e.g. by
providing the stopper with weight plates placed on that
side of the pivot where the center of gravity is desired to
be located. Alternatively, each stopper may be adapted to
be tending towards a certain position by the action of a
magnet or spring, which provides the advantage that the
center of gravity need not be considered. The locking of
the flexible element in position can be implemented using
any rope locking device. The flexible element may be pro-
vided e.g. with loops at landing zones, allowing the lock-

ing to be effected by hanging the loop onto a. hook, latch
or quick-release fastener secured to the elevator shaft.
Alternatively, the flexible element need not be locked if
the stoppers are locked in position by themselves. For ex-
ample, magnetic attraction may exist between the limiting
element 8,18 or 28 and the stopper 5, 15 or 25. In this
case, at least one of these, either the stopper or the lim-
iter, is magnetic or comprises a magnetic part while the
other parts are made of a material subject to magnetic at-
traction (e.g. iron, steel). The attractive force of the
magnet is preferably so adapted that moving the stopper by
means of the flexible element to a position close to the
limiting element results in magnetic action tending to- move
the stopper against the limiting element. The force is
preferably adapted to be sufficient to hold the stopper in
place against the limiting element. By moving the flexible
element in this situation, the stopper can be moved sub-
stantially. away from the range of attraction of the magnet.
In addition, the limiting element is preferably arranged to
be such that the stopper will behave bistably so that, when
the stopper is moved sufficiently far away from the posi-
tion against the limiting element, magnetic attraction will
start pulling the stopper in another direction, which is a
reverse direction relative to the previous direction. For
this action, a separate limiting element can be provided,
but it is not necessary because e.g. in Fig. 3 the stopper
25 swivels in such manner that it meets the limiting ele-
ment 28 at either extreme position, the magnetic attraction
between the stopper and the limiting element being prefera-
bly stronger at these extreme positions than when the stop-
per is between the extreme positions, bistability being
thus achieved. A bistable arrangement can also be imple-
mented in other ways, e.g. by using pivotally spring-loaded
elements.
In all the above-described solutions, the flexible element
preferably extends in the running direction of the elevator
car at least through a distance corresponding to one floor-
to- floor distance, preferably extending at least from a

height at the level of one landing door opening to a height
at the level of another landing door opening. Preferably
the flexible element extends at least from a height at the
level of the topmost landing door opening to a height at
the level of the lowest landing door opening.
Figs. 1-5 are depicted as indicative representations and
not in true proportion. For the sake of clarity, the stop-
pers in Figs. 2 and 3 are shown as being so arranged that
the rotational center axis of the stopper is parallel to
the rotational center axis of parts 16 and 26. To save
space, the rotational center axis of the stoppers in these
embodiments, too, can also be oriented in a different di-
rection, preferably in a manner corresponding to that il-
lustrated in Fig. 5, i.e. in a direction perpendicular to
the rotational center axes of the runners. In all embodi-
ments, the mounting of the flexible element in the elevator
shaft is preferably implemented by securing it to the guide
rails, most preferably partially or completely to the back-
side of a guide rail, but the flexible element can also be
secured to some other fixed structure of the elevator shaft
or building.
Not all the features presented in the figures are essential
to the functioning of the invention. For example, the
mounting and other structures of the stoppers may be imple-
mented according to a prior-art technology. The essential
point is that a shiftable element is changed from one posi-
tional state to another by means of a flexible element.
The stopper/stoppers mentioned in connection with Figs. 1-3
and 5 as being attached to the elevator car are depicted in
the figures as stoppers fixedly attached to the elevator
car (e.g. buffer-type stoppers), but they could alterna-
tively be implemented as movable stoppers (e.g. safety gear
activating stopper). In all embodiments (Figs. 1-5), the
stopper 2 attached to the elevator car may be a safety gear
activating stopper, in other words, the stopper attached to
the elevator car is connected to the safety gear and func-

tions as a trigger activating the safety gear when the
stopper attached to the elevator car and the stopper in the
elevator shaft meet.
In a method according to the invention, at least one
shiftable element comprised in an elevator is shifted be-
tween an inactivated state (I) and an activated state (II),
e.g. in order to provide a safety space at least in a part
of the elevator shaft, by shifting the shiftable element by
means of a flexible element. The flexible element
(1,11,21,31) is so disposed in the elevator shaft or
equivalent that it extends in the traveling direction of
the elevator car through a distance corresponding to at
least one floor-to-floor distance. The shiftable element
(5,15,25,35) is preferably a mechanical stopper which is
shifted between states (I and II) by moving it by means of
the flexible element transversely relative to the direction
of the elevator shaft between the activated position (II),
at which the stopper is in alignment with a stopper at-
tached to the elevator car as seen in the direction of mo-
tion of. the elevator car, and an inactivated position (I),
at which the stopper is out of alignment with the stopper
(2) attached to the elevator car. The flexible element
(1,11,21,31) is preferably so disposed in the elevator
shaft or equivalent that it extends in the traveling direc-
tion of the elevator car through a distance corresponding
to at least one floor-to-floor distance. Activation of the
stopper can thus be effected from a distance, e.g. from a
distance corresponding to at least one floor-to-floor dis-
tance from the shiftable element, preferably by moving the
flexible element manually by drawing the flexible element
in its lengthwise direction. In the method, the arrangement
is preferably as described in Figs. 1-5 and the correspond-
ing explanations.
It is obvious to the a person skilled in the art that the
invention is not limited to the embodiments described
above, in which the invention has been described by way of

example, but that many variations and different embodiments
of the invention are possible within the scope of the in-
ventive concept defined in the claims presented below. It
is thus obvious that elements other than mechanical stop-
pers can also be shifted between an activated state and an
inactivated state. The flexible element may be connected to
the shiftable element mechanically and/or electrically. The
essential point is that movement of the flexible element
shifts the shiftable element from one state to the other.
The state may be e.g. a physical position of a mechanical
stopper, a position/state of an electric switch, or it may
also be a condition of the entire system (normal condition
/ service condition). A shiftable element electrically con-
nected to the flexible element could be e.g. an inductive
sensor monitoring the flexible element to detect its move-
ment. The effect of activation may in this case correspond
to the activation of e.g. a traditional safety switch. In
this case, activated state is understood as referring to a
situation where the sensor itself has been switched and/or
has switched the elevator system from one state to the
other, preferably from a normal operation state to a main-
tenance operation state of a higher safety level. Alterna-
tively, this can also be implemented by attaching to the
flexible element an identifier whose motion can be detected
by a sensor mounted on a fixed structure of the elevator
shaft or equivalent.
It is further obvious that, although the flexible element
in the figures is a rope, it could also be some other cor-'
responding element, such as e.g. a belt, wire, band, chain
or a set of ropes. The rope is preferably made of metal,
but it may also be made of some other material, such as
e.g. rubber. It is also obvious that the flexible element
can also be used in other types of activation arrangement
than those presented in the figures. Activation of a stop-
per may also be effected by means of a flexible element in
an arrangement where a stopper tending to switch to the ac-
tivated position by the action of a spring or gravity is
kept in the inactivated state by a flexible element tempo-

rarily immovably locked in the elevator shaft. In this
case, releasing the flexible element from the locked state
activates the stopper. Activation of a stopper could also
be effected by means of a flexible element in an arrange-
ment utilizing a prior-art switch to alternately activate
or inactivate the stopper every time the rope is pulled at.
It is also obvious that, although the solutions presented
describe swivelable stoppers, the flexible element could be
connected to a shiftable element so that longitudinal mo-
tion of the flexible element relative to the elevator shaft
is converted by a prior-art construction into transverse
motion of the shiftable element. The stopper could thus
move horizontally back and forth between positions I and
II. This provides inter alia the advantage that the direc-
tion of motion of the elevator car has no effect on the
structure of the stopper arrangement. It is also obvious
that the elevator car may be provided with a smaller or
larger number of stoppers than suggested by the figures.

CLAIMS
1. An elevator arrangement, comprising an elevator car (C)
arranged to move in an elevator shaft or equivalent (S),
preferably along car guide rails (4), and an element
(5,15,25,35) which is disposed in the elevator shaft or
equivalent and is shiftable between an activated state
(II) and an inactivated state (I) , and activating means
(1,11,21,31,16,26,36,37) for shifting the said element
(5,15,25,35) between the activated (II) and inactivated
(I) states, characterized in that the said acti-
vating means comprise a flexible element (1,11,21,31),
such as e.g. a rope or equivalent, movably attached to a
fixed structure of the elevator shaft or equivalent (S) ,
and that the said flexible element is connected to the
said shiftable element (5,15,25,35) in a manner permit-
ting the shiftable element (5,15,25,35) to be shifted by
means of the flexible element (1,11,21,31).
2. An elevator arrangement according to claim 1, char-
acterized in that the shiftable element
(5,15,25,35) is in the activated state (II) in a first
position and in the inactivated state (I) in a second
position, this second position being different from the
first position, between which first and second positions
the shiftable element is arranged to be shifted by mov-
ing it by means of the flexible element.
3. An elevator arrangement according to any one of the pre-
ceding claims 1-2, characterized in that the
shiftable element (5,15,25,35) is a mechanical stopper.
4. An elevator arrangement according to any one of the pre-
ceding claims 1-3, characterized in that the
shiftable element (5,15,25,35) is a safety switch.

5. An elevator arrangement according to any one of the pre-
ceding claims 1-4, characterized in that, when
the shiftable element (5,15,25,35) is in the activated
state (II), the " arrangement forms a temporary safety
space in a part of the elevator shaft, preferably at the
upper and/or lower ends/end.
6. An elevator arrangement according to any one of the pre-
ceding claims 1-5, characterised in that the
flexible element (1,11,21,31) is so disposed in the ele-
vator shaft or equivalent that it extends in the travel-
ing direction of the elevator car through a distance
corresponding to at least one floor-to-floor distance,
preferably at least from a height located at the level
of one landing door opening to a height located at the
level of . another landing door opening, and that the
shiftable element (5,15,25,35) is a mechanical stopper
arranged to be shifted between states (I and II) by mov-
ing it by means of the flexible element transversely
relative to the elevator shaft between the activated po-
sition (II), at which the stopper is in alignment with a
stopper attached to the elevator car as seen in the di-
rection of motion of the elevator car, and. the inacti-
vated position (I), at which the stopper is out of
alignment with the stopper (2) attached to the elevator
car.
7. An elevator arrangement according to any one of the pre- '
ceding claims 1-6, characterized in that the
flexible element (1,11,21,31) is so disposed in the ele-
vator shaft or equivalent that it extends in the travel-
ing direction of the elevator car through a distance
corresponding to at least one floor-to-floor distance,
preferably at least from a height at the level of one
landing door opening to a height at the level of another
landing door opening.
8. An elevator arrangement according to any one of the pre-
ceding claims 1-7, characterized in that the

flexible element (1,11,21,31) is connected to a number
of shiftable elements (5,15,25,35) so as to allow them
to be shifted simultaneously between the activated state
(II) and the inactivated state (I).
9. An elevator arrangement according to any one of the pre-
ceding claims 1-8, characterized in that the
flexible element (1,11,21,31) is passed around at least
one idle wheel (16,26,36).
10. An elevator arrangement according to any one of the
preceding claims 1-9, characterized in that the
flexible element (31) passes around an idle wheel (36),
and the portion (31a) of the flexible element on a first
side of the idle wheel and the portion (31b) of the
flexible element on a second side of the idle wheel are
attached to an element (37) swivelably mounted on a
fixed structure of the. elevator shaft or equivalent,
said element preferably being a rocker arm or equiva-
lent .
11. An elevator arrangement according to any one of the
preceding claims 1-10, characterized in that the
flexible element (11,21,31) passes around an idle wheel
(16,26,36), and the portion (11a,21a,31a) of the flexi-
ble element on a first side of said idle wheel
(16,26,36) is connected to a shiftable element
(15,25,35) and the portion (11b,21b,31b) of the flexible
element on a second side of said idle wheel is connected
to another shiftable element (15,25,35).
12. An elevator arrangement according to any one of the
preceding claims 1-11, characterized in that at
least some of the. activating means
(1,11,21,31,16,26,36,.37) are attached to a guide rail
(4) in the elevator shaft, preferably to a car guide
rail.

13. An elevator arrangement according to any one of the
preceding claims 1-12, characterized in that the
shiftable element (5,15,25,35) is a mechanical stopper
arranged to be moved transversely relative to the eleva-
tor shaft between an activated position (II) , at which
position the stopper is in alignment with the stopper
attached to the elevator car as seen in the direction
of motion of the elevator car, and an inactivated posi-
tion (I) , at which position the stopper is out of align-
ment with the stopper (2) attached to the elevator car.
14. An elevator arrangement according to any one of the
preceding claims 1-13, characterized in that the
stopper attached to the elevator car is a stopper for
activating a safety gear.
15. An elevator arrangement according to any one of the
preceding claims 1-14, characterized in that the
flexible element is arranged to run at a close distance
from at least one, preferably all of the landing doors,
preferably at a distance of below 70 cm from a vertical
edge of the landing door opening (D), to make it possi-
ble to move the flexible element manually via an opened
landing door.
16. A method in elevator maintenance, in which method at
1-east one shiftable element (5,15,25,35) comprised in
the elevator is shifted between an'inactivated state (I)
and an activated state (II), e.g. in order to provide a
safety space at least in a part of the elevator shaft,
characterized in that, in the method, the
shiftable element (5,15,25,35) is shifted by means of a
flexible element (1,11,21,31).
17. A method according to the preceding claim, charac-
terized in that the flexible, element (1,11,21,31) is
so disposed in the elevator shaft or equivalent that it
extends in the traveling direction of the elevator car
through a distance corresponding to at least one floor-

to-floor distance, and that the shiftable element
(5,15,25,35) is a mechanical stopper which is shifted
between states (I and II) by moving it by means of the
flexible element transversely relative to the elevator
shaft between an activated position (II), at which the
stopper is in alignment with a stopper attached to the
elevator car as seen in the direction of motion of the
elevator car, and an inactivated position (I) , at which
the stopper is out of alignment with the stopper (2) at-
tached to the elevator car
18. A method according to any one of the preceding claims
16-17, characterized in that the flexible ele-
ment (1,11,21,31) is so disposed in the elevator shaft
or equivalent that it extends in the traveling direction
of the elevator car through a distance corresponding to
at least one floor-to-floor distance.
19. A method according to any one of the preceding claims
16-18, characterized in that, in the method, the
shiftable element is shifted by means of the flexible
element by moving the flexible element (1,11,21,31) from
a distance corresponding to at least one floor-to-floor
distance from the shiftable element.
20. A method according to any one of the preceding claims
16-19, characterize-d in that the method is used
in an arrangement according to any one of claims 1-15.

An elevator arrangement, comprising an elevator car (C)
arranged to move in an elevator shaft or equivalent (S), preferably along
car guide rails, and an element (25) which is disposed in the elevator shaft
or equivalent and is shiftable between an activated state (II) and an inactivated
state (I), and activating means (21,26) for shifting the said element
(25) between the activated (II) and inactivated (I) states. The said activating
means comprise a flexible element (21), such as e.g. a rope or equivalent,
movably attached to a fixed structure of the elevator shaft or equivalent
(S), and the said flexible element is connected to the said shiftable element
(25) in a manner permitting the shiftable element (25) to be shifted
by means of the flexible element (21).