Panoramic Vacuum Elevator Cabin Mechanics With Air Pressure Lift
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing elevator designs are bulky, noisy, expensive, unsafe, and inefficient, with significant maintenance and installation costs, and pose health and safety risks due to their construction materials and mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
A panoramic vacuum elevator system using strengthened glass panels as the primary construction elements, eliminating the need for rails, guides, ropes, and counterweights, and utilizing air pressure differential for cabin movement, resulting in a compact, aesthetically pleasing, and low-maintenance design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional traction elevator designs with concrete shafts, rails, guides, and counterweights are used, then the elevator can transport loads reliably, but the system occupies a large footprint and requires a separate machine room
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes traditional elevator components (concrete shaft, rails, guides, counterweights, machine room) and replaces them with a vacuum-based system using a hermetically sealed shaft and vacuum chamber, eliminating the need for overhead hoisting machinery and reducing footprint
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses vacuum pressure (pneumatic principle) to move the cabin up and down the shaft, replacing mechanical traction systems with air pressure differential control, thereby eliminating the need for ropes, pulleys, and machine rooms
2Ease of operation
If traction elevators with lubricating oils are used, then the elevator mechanism can operate smoothly, but health risks arise due to cancer agents in the oils
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical friction-based movement with vacuum-based movement, eliminating the need for lubricating oils and their associated health risks while maintaining smooth operation through air pressure control
3Force
If hydraulic elevators with synthetic oil-based fluid are used, then the cabin can be lifted vertically, but environmental impact and maintenance costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses vacuum pressure instead of hydraulic fluid to achieve lifting force, eliminating environmental contamination from synthetic oils while maintaining the ability to lift the cabin vertically through air pressure differential
4Length of moving object
If hydraulic elevators with long hydraulic cylinders are used, then higher travel distances can be achieved, but construction complexity and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the hydraulic cylinder entirely and replaces it with a vacuum chamber and seal system, achieving the same travel distance function through vacuum pressure control without the construction complexity of long cylinders
5Strength
If traditional elevator designs with metal frames and glass panels are used, then structural strength is achieved, but the appearance is bulky and less aesthetically pleasing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a hermetically sealed shaft that can be constructed with thinner walls and integrated sealing, allowing for more aesthetically pleasing designs with reduced bulk while maintaining structural integrity through the vacuum pressure containment design
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The glass-based vacuum elevator system is safer, more energy-efficient, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective, with reduced maintenance needs and a smaller footprint, offering improved safety and aesthetic integration into living spaces.
Implementation Method 1
the elevator cabin is brought into motion in a vertically situated or vertically inclined and hermetically sealed elevator shaft by means of air pressure differential above and below the elevator cabin
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques are described for an elevator apparatus that includes a cabin apparatus and a hoistway apparatus. In an embodiment, the cabin head apparatus of the cabin apparatus extends parallel to a cross-section of the hoistway apparatus. The air pressure in the part of the hoistway is maintained to be different from the air pressure inside the cabin apparatus and may cause the cabin apparatus to ascend or to stay steady within the hoistway apparatus. The cabin head apparatus is partially load-bearing for the cabin apparatus and any load. In an embodiment, the air pressure difference is maintained by seal(s) that are peripherally coupled to the cabin apparatus, generating an airtight connection of the cabin apparatus with an inner periphery of a cross section of the hoistway apparatus. The seals substantially prevent the air in the top portion of the hoistway apparatus from entering the bottom portion and vice versa.