Elevator Glossarys

The elevator industry involves many technical terms that require understanding. Please browse our glossary to quickly learn the definitions of commonly used elevator terms and abbreviations.

Elevator
A fixed device driven by electric power, equipped with a passenger or freight car, operating between two rigid guide rails that are vertical or inclined at an angle not exceeding 15 degrees from the vertical, and used for transporting passengers and/or goods.
Passenger Elevator
An elevator designed for transporting passengers.
Freight Elevator (Cargo Elevator)
An elevator mainly designed for transporting goods and usually accompanied by personnel.
Passenger and Freight Elevator
An elevator primarily used for transporting passengers, but also capable of transporting goods. It differs from a passenger elevator mainly in interior decoration and structural configuration.
Hospital Bed Elevator
An elevator designed for transporting hospital beds.
Residential Elevator
An elevator used in residential buildings.
Service Elevator (Dumbwaiter)
An elevator used in libraries, office buildings, hotels, and similar facilities for transporting books, documents, food, and other items, and not permitted for passenger use.
Marine Elevator
An elevator installed on ships.
Observation Elevator
An elevator with transparent car walls, designed for passenger sightseeing.
Vehicle Elevator
An elevator used for transporting vehicles.
Hydraulic Elevator
An elevator driven by hydraulic transmission.
  • Direct-Acting Plunger Hydraulic Elevator — A hydraulic elevator in which the cylinder plunger directly supports the bottom of the car to raise and lower the car.
  • Side-Mounted Plunger Hydraulic Elevator — A hydraulic elevator in which the cylinder plunger is installed on the side of the hoistway, and the car is raised and lowered through traction ropes or chains connected by a pulley system.
Landing Accuracy
The vertical deviation between the car sill plane and the landing door sill plane after the car stops at a landing.
Rated Speed
The operating speed of the elevator specified in manufacturing and design.
Rated Load
The load capacity of the elevator specified in manufacturing and design.
Travel Height
The vertical distance between the floor level of the bottom terminal landing and the floor level of the top terminal landing.
Machine Room
The room in which the traction machine and related equipment are installed.
  • Machine Room Height — The vertical distance between the machine room floor (including load-bearing beams) and the machine room ceiling.
  • Machine Room Width — The horizontal distance measured parallel to the car width.
  • Machine Room Depth — The horizontal distance measured perpendicular to the machine room width.
  • Machine Room Area — The floor area of the machine room.
Intermediate Floor (Auxiliary Machine Room)
A space located above the hoistway, arranged beneath the machine room floor, for the installation of traction-related equipment.
Top Floor Height
The vertical distance from the floor level of the top terminal landing to the lowest protruding component beneath the machine room floor or intermediate floor.
Landing
A location on each floor used for entering or exiting the car.
Landing Entrance
An opening in the hoistway wall that serves as the passage between the floor and the car.
Base Landing
The landing at which the car stops when there are no operating commands.
Designated Base Landing
A landing designated for a car under parallel control to stop and wait when there are no operating commands.
Bottom Terminal Landing
The lowest landing at which the car can stop.
Top Terminal Landing
The highest landing at which the car can stop.
Hoistway
The space provided for the operation of the car and counterweight, bounded by the pit floor, hoistway walls, and hoistway top.
Single-Elevator Hoistway
A hoistway used exclusively for the operation of one elevator.
Multiple-Elevator Hoistway
A hoistway used for the operation of two or more elevators.
Hoistway Wall
A wall or structural element separating the hoistway from other spaces.
Hoistway Internal Dimensions
  • Hoistway Width — The horizontal distance between the inner surfaces of the hoistway walls measured parallel to the car width.
  • Hoistway Depth — The horizontal distance measured perpendicular to the hoistway width.
Pit
The portion of the hoistway located below the floor level of the bottom terminal landing.
Hoistway Bracket (Corbel)
A protruding part inside the hoistway, located beneath the landing entrance, used for installing the landing sill.
Cofferdam
A hoistway used for marine elevators.
Cofferdam Entrance
A doorway installed horizontally or vertically on the cofferdam of a marine elevator.
Unlocking Zone
A zone above and below the landing sill within which the landing door lock can be released when the car floor enters this zone.
Leveling
The action performed when the car approaches a landing to align the car sill with the landing sill.
Leveling Zone
A distance above and/or below a landing within which the leveling device operates to achieve accurate leveling.
Door Opening Width
The clear width after the car door and landing door are fully opened.
Car Entrance
An opening in the car wall serving as the normal passage between the car and the landing.
Clear Car Entrance Dimensions
The measured width and depth of the doorway after the car door and landing door are fully opened.
Car Width
The horizontal distance between the inner surfaces of the car walls, measured parallel to the car entrance direction at a height of 1 m above the car floor.
Car Depth
The horizontal distance between the inner surfaces of the car walls, measured perpendicular to the car width at a height of 1 m above the car floor.
Car Height
The vertical distance measured inside the car from the car sill to the car ceiling, including removable suspended ceiling structures.
Elevator Operator
A person who has received specialized training and is authorized to operate the elevator.
Rated Passenger Capacity
The maximum number of passengers permitted in the car, including the operator.
Inspection Door (Machine Room Door)
A trap door installed in the machine room or intermediate floor, opening upward only, for inspection personnel or for transporting maintenance materials.
Oil Buffer Stroke
The vertical distance traveled by the plunger after the oil buffer is compressed.
Spring Buffer Stroke
The vertical deformation distance of the spring after compression.
Car Bottom Safety Clearance
The vertical distance from the pit floor to the lowest component installed beneath the car when the buffer is fully compressed, excluding sliding guide shoes, roller guide shoes, safety gear, and toe guards.
Car Top Safety Clearance
The vertical distance from the highest component on the car top to the lowest structural part of the hoistway when the counterweight buffer is fully compressed.
Counterweight Top Safety Clearance
The minimum vertical distance between the highest part of the counterweight and the hoistway top or any lowest structural component when the car is level at the bottom terminal landing.
Creeping Operation
An operation mode that allows the elevator to run at a low speed not exceeding 0.63 m/s with the car door and landing door either open or closed, for special purposes.
Inspection Operation
An operation mode in which the car is moved by inspection controls installed on the car top during maintenance.
Traction Arrangement
The form of traction drive determined by the location of the machine room, including top-mounted traction arrangement and side-mounted traction arrangement.
Traction Ratio
The ratio formed by pulley systems when driving the elevator with a traction machine, allowing larger loads to be transported without increasing motor power. Typical ratios are 1:1 or 2:1, and 3:1 in special cases.
Traveling Cable
A cable connecting the moving car to a fixed point.
Buffer
A stopping safety device generally installed in the pit of the hoistway, used to absorb the kinetic energy generated by the car or counterweight when the car travels beyond its lower limit.
  • Oil Buffer — A buffer that absorbs kinetic energy using oil as the medium.
  • Spring Buffer — A buffer that absorbs kinetic energy using a spring as the medium.
Vibration Isolator
A device used to reduce vibration and noise during elevator operation.
Car
An elevator component used for transporting passengers and/or goods.
  • Car Floor — A component that supports the load of the car, including the floor plate and frame.
  • Car Floor Plate — A metal plate forming the surface directly supporting the load.
  • Car Floor Frame — A metal structure supporting the car floor plate.
  • Car Wall — Panels, mainly made of metal sheets, forming an enclosed space together with the car floor, car roof, and doors.
  • Car Roof — The top cover of the car, composed of metal sheets, frames, and decorative structures.
  • Car Handrail — A handrail fixed to the car wall.
Car Frame
A frame used to fix and suspend the car.
Door Operator
A device that automatically opens and closes the car door and landing door.
Manual Door
A car door or landing door that is opened and closed manually.
Automatic Door
A car door or landing door that is opened and closed by powered operation.
Landing Door
An enclosed door installed at the landing entrance.
Fire-Resistant Door
A type of landing door designed in accordance with fire protection requirements, capable of preventing or delaying the passage of hot gases or flames.
Car Door
A door installed at the car entrance.
Safety Edge
A safety device installed between the car door and landing door that causes the door to immediately return to the open position when a passenger or obstacle is contacted during door closing.
Hinged Door (Swing Door)
A door hinged on one side and opening outward from the hoistway.
Collapsible Gate
A foldable car door that forms a gate-like structure when closed.
Horizontal Sliding Door
A door that opens and closes horizontally along door guide rails and sill grooves.
  • Center-Opening Two-Panel Door — Two panels opening symmetrically from the center.
  • Center-Opening Four-Panel Door — Four panels opening symmetrically from the center.
  • Side-Opening Single-Panel Door — A single panel opening to one side.
  • Side-Opening Two-Panel Door — Two panels opening to the same side at different speeds.
  • Side-Opening Three-Panel Door — Three panels opening to the same side at different speeds.
  • Left-Opening Door — A door opening to the left when facing the car.
  • Right-Opening Door — A door opening to the right when facing the car.
Vertical Sliding Door
A door that opens and closes vertically along guide rails on both sides.
  • Two-Panel Vertical Sliding Door — Two panels opening upward and downward at equal speed.
  • Four-Panel Vertical Sliding Door — Four panels opening upward and downward symmetrically.
Compensation Chain Device
A compensation device constructed of metal chains.
Compensation Rope Device
A compensation device composed of steel wire ropes and tension sheaves.
Compensation Rope Safety Switch
An electrical safety switch that cuts off the power supply to the traction motor and brake when the compensation rope sheave exceeds its limit position during movement.
Sill
A metal threshold installed at the entrance of the car or landing door, allowing horizontally sliding doors to move within the sill groove.
  • Car Sill — The sill installed at the car entrance.
  • Landing Sill — The sill installed at the landing entrance.
Electric Drive
A general term for electrical equipment and systems used to realize elevator operation and automatic control.
AC Electric Drive
An electric drive system using alternating-current motors.
Single-Speed AC Electric Drive
An AC electric drive system using a motor with a single operating speed.
Two-Speed AC Electric Drive
An AC electric drive system using a motor with two operating speeds.
Three-Speed AC Electric Drive
An AC electric drive system using a motor with three operating speeds.
Variable-Speed Electric Drive
An electric drive system in which the motor speed is adjustable.
DC Electric Drive
An electric drive system using direct-current motors.
DC Generator–Motor Drive
A DC electric drive system in which the DC motor is powered by a rotating generator set.
Thyristor-Excited DC Drive
A DC electric drive system in which a controllable rectifier provides adjustable direct-current voltage for excitation of the generator–motor set.
Rectifier-Fed DC Drive
A DC electric drive system in which the DC motor is powered by a rectifier.
Control System
A system composed of the elevator equipment being controlled and the corresponding control devices.
Contact Control
A control method in which the main control circuit is switched by contact-type electrical components.
Contact / Non-Contact Control
A control method in which the main control circuit is switched by a combination of contact-type electrical components and non-contact electronic components.
Non-Contact Control
A control method in which the main control circuit is switched entirely by non-contact electronic components.
Button Control
A control method in which commands can be issued by landing buttons or car operating buttons to cause the car to stop at a specified landing.
Lever Control
A control method in which the elevator operator controls car movement using a lever switch inside the car.
Signal Control
A control method in which landing call signals, car selection signals, and other special signals are comprehensively analyzed, and the car movement is controlled by an operator.
Collective Control
An automatic control method without an operator, in which landing call signals, car selection signals, and other special signals are comprehensively analyzed to determine car operation.
Down-Collective Control
A control method in which landing calls are answered only when the car is traveling downward in the corresponding direction.
Parallel Control
A control method for two or three elevators operating in parallel, sharing landing call signals and automatically dispatching cars according to predefined rules.
Group Control
A control method for three or more elevators arranged in a group, sharing landing call buttons and being centrally dispatched and controlled according to a predefined program.
Pipeline Shut-Off Valve (Overspeed Shut-Off Valve)
A safety valve that limits system speed or shuts off the flow passage when a failure occurs in the hydraulic circuit and the flow becomes uncontrollable and exceeds the rated value.
Speed Limiting Valve
A safety valve that limits system speed when a failure occurs in the hydraulic circuit and the flow becomes uncontrollable and exceeds the rated value.
Composite Electro-Hydraulic Proportional Flow Control Valve
A combined valve composed of a valve body and auxiliary components, capable of regulating the controlled flow in a defined proportional relationship to the control signal.
Plunger-Type Hydraulic Cylinder
A hydraulic cylinder in which the plunger performs reciprocating motion within the cylinder barrel.
Oil Tank
A reservoir in a hydraulic system used to store hydraulic oil for pump suction and return flow in the working circuit.
Hydraulic Pump Station
A location or integrated unit housing one or more hydraulic pumps that provide hydraulic power to the hydraulic system.
Silencer
A device installed to reduce noise generated by the hydraulic system and its components during operation.

For additional question
Feel free to contact us

Inquire Now