Patent ID: 7681692

Claim:
A drive unit for an elevator installation having a car and a counterweight movable in a shaft, the car being guide along a car guide rail, the counterweight being guided along a counterweight guide rail, the car and the counterweight being connected and supported by a drive means, the drive means being drivingly coupled to the drive unit, the drive unit comprising: a single drive motor; a brake; a drive shaft; and at least two neighbored drive zones, said at least two neighbored drive zones, said brake and said single drive motor being drivingly coupled to said drive shaft, said at least two neighbored drive zones interacting with the drive means to drive the drive means, said at least two neighbored drive zones being mutually spaced at a predetermined spacing, said drive motor and said brake being arranged outside of said predetermined spacing, wherein the drive unit includes a central bearing supporting said drive shaft, and said central bearing acts transverse to a longitudinal axis of said drive shaft and rotatably supports said drive shaft at a plane of symmetry between said at least two neighbored drive zones.