Patent ID: 7604099

Claim:
A braking device for an elevator comprising: a movable plunger; a braking mechanism which is connected to one end of said movable plunger and is configured to move through a movable range in an axial direction of the movable plunger from a braking state to a releasing state and move through the movable range in a reverse axial direction of the movable plunger from the releasing state to the braking state; a first drive mechanism using a mechanical or magnetic force to press said movable plunger in the axial direction and hold said movable plunger in the releasing state when the movable plunger is in a first portion of the movable range, and to press said movable plunger in the reverse axial direction and hold said movable plunger in the braking state when the movable plunger is in a second portion of the movable range; and a second drive mechanism using an electromagnetic force to drive said movable plunger from the first portion of the movable range to the second portion of the movable range for switching to the braking state and drive said movable plunger from the second portion of the movable range to the first portion of the movable range for switching to the releasing state.