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A Lift for Traffic Flow: Improved Dispatch Lowers Capital and Operating Costs
July, 2009
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ELEVATOR SECURITY OPTIONS
By Rob Michie
Video cameras can deter graffiti and other damage in elevator cabs and provide enhanced security for passengers, but property owners may want to factor material costs and installation complications before choosing a system.
Elevators typically have to be decommissioned during the installation of hardwired video cable (coax) that runs from the mechanical room to the cab, while the costs of the material and labour could range from $15,000 to $25,000 per elevator, depending on the number of floors in a building. Cable for the hardwired system would also likely have to be replaced with five to 10 years.
Wireless video systems are another alternative. The system has no movable parts, thus requiring less maintenance. It can send real-time, DVD quality video at any traveling speed, while encrypted wireless technology prevents accidental or intentional interception.
Such systems can also be installed in about 45 minutes with no elevator shutdown required. With a unit cost of about $4,000, the technology is also price-competitive.
Rob Michie is with VideoComm Technologies, a manufacturer and marketer of wireless security surveillance systems. For more information, see the web site at www.videotransmitters.com. |
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By Jeff Blain
Passenger volume and the elevator bank’s atypical configuration recently prompted the owners of a noted Manhattan hotel to upgrade both the look and the performance of the system. The original elevators were installed in 1985 around a circular core in the middle of the hotel – a design choice that subsequently limited options for increasing service since adding more elevators would compromise the aesthetics of the hotel.
The design prevented passengers from seeing all of the elevators from one vantage point so they would often miss the elevators that came outside of their view. Meanwhile, the hotel staff frequently had to wait as long as three minutes for a service elevator to arrive.
New destination dispatch technology helped to resolve these snags in traffic flow. It allows passengers to use keypads in the hallway to input their floor destination and eliminates the need to push buttons inside the elevator cab.
Once the required floor is keyed into the system, its controls identify and assign the elevator that can go to that destination in the most efficient way possible. The technology is based on a variable algorithm that calculates the fastest travel time to the required location.
The system can also track the frequency of input requests on the keypad and factor in the capacity of the car based upon its weight. Thus, full cars can run in an express mode and skip unnecessary stops, which can be one of the main causes of elevator delay. Performance analysis indicates that the system can improve overall traffic efficiency by up to 30%.
At the New York City hotel, the upgrade program began with six service elevators. This resulted in a 50% reduction in the average number of elevator trips, from 2,000 trips per day to 1,000, and a drop in waiting times from an average of two to three minutes to 35 to 55 seconds.
Next, the 16 guest elevators were replaced to deliver a 35% increase in passenger capacity. A total reconfiguration of the elevator bank was avoided, allowing for the best use of the existing space.
The elevator contractors also modernized 16 of the facility’s escalators and installed 4 new escalators as part of an overall $150-million hotel renovation program.
“Anything we can do to make a guest’s stay more comfortable and memorable is very important to us,” asserts Mike Stengel, market Vice President and area General Manager for NYC Marriott Hotels. “For years we were challenged by the sheer volume of elevator use and now we have seen a tremendous change in the accessibility and speed with which guests are able to travel amongst floors.”
There are spinoff operating cost benefits as the streamlined traffic flow reduces the number of stops and makes the elevator system more energy-efficient. It also promotes accessibility in accommodating customers with special needs who may need more time to enter the elevator cab, audible cues, or more room in the cab.
For building operators, the destination dispatch system can be remotely monitored using electronic systems that detect non-conformances. Around-the-clock monitoring helps identify problems before they become major issues that would necessitate a costly system shutdown.
Jeff Blain is North American sales manager with Schindler Elevator Corporation, providers of destination dispatch technology and the contractor for the elevator replacement and system upgrade at the New York Marriot Marquis. For more information, see the web site at www.us.schindler.com. |
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