Patent ID: 7775326

Claim:
An elevator apparatus comprising: a plurality of hoisting machines having respective drive sheaves; at least one main rope wound around and moved respective running distances by rotation of respective drive sheaves; a car suspended by the main rope and raised and lowered by the hoisting machines; a counterweight suspended by the main rope and raised and lowered by the hoisting machines, wherein the counterweight includes a first weight body having upper and lower portions, a second weight body having upper and lower portions, and first and second elastically deformable coupling members elastically coupling the upper portion of the first weight body to the upper portion of the second weight body, and coupling the lower portion of the first weight body to the lower portion of the second weight body, respectively, so that displacement in height of the first weight body relative to the second weight body of the counterweight compensates, by elastic deformation of the first and second elastically deformable coupling members, for differences in running distances of the rope produced by different drive sheaves, and the main rope has a first rope end connected to the counterweight on a first weight body side of the counterweight, and a second rope end connected to the counterweight on a second weight body side of the counterweight; a control device for controlling the hoisting machines; and deformation detecting means for detecting deformation state of the first and second elastically deformable coupling members, wherein the control device counterbalances any difference between running distances of the main rope produced by the hoisting machines in response to a signal from the deformation detecting means.