The passive dynamic control (“PDC”) is a new mechanical system control method requiring less energy but ensuring higher safety, which is based on inherently safe design using variable passive elements. The PDC divides its control process into four steps: hold step, take-over step, unbalance step and free step. In each of these steps, it is confirmed that the next step has satisfied the inherently safe design and then the execution of the next step is permitted. In this study, the authors have developed a PDC balancer equipped with a constant-load spring balancer to provide a constant tension regardless of the wire elongation, and conducted positioning experiments using this PDC balancer. This paper proposes a new home elevator system using the PDC balancer. When the balance of the elevator is maintained by using the PDC balancer, the elevator can be moved by a small force. Even if power failure occurs or severance is caused to the spring of the PDC balancer, as long as the cage of the elevator is so mechanically arranged as to ascend in such case, impact on the passengers will be mitigated to be smaller than impact when it descends. Furthermore, this elevator is so designed as to prevent the passengers from being confined in the cage. The inherently safe design can be realized by multiplying the spring structure and employing the PDC for this system. This system is featured by its excellence in safety, energy saving and cost performance. If this system is realized, the home elevator can be used even in remote areas, which is expected to facilitate the spread of the home elevator.
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