All revolutionary products and innovations require time to gain traction and make a significant impact on everyday life. It took 20 to 25 years for electricity, the telephone, automobiles and passenger elevators to evolve from being exciting curiosities to high-growth wonders to mainstream realities. Today, major innovations typically ramp up more quickly. Personal computers, cell phones and MP3 players all rushed through their incubation periods to hit their high-growth wonder stage in five to 10 years, typically fueled by constant upgrades and improvements.
The same pattern is developing now with “smart”—or destination dispatch elevators. Less than 10 years after the first destination dispatch elevators were commercialized, they continue to get smarter and are becoming a familiar sight in office towers, hospitals and hotels around the world. Demand for these increasingly efficient, flexible elevator systems is accelerating rapidly.
Why the sudden rise in demand for destination dispatch elevators? They improve upon the performance of traditional up/down elevators in terms of efficiency, flexibility, time, convenience and access control—benefits appreciated by both building owners and daily elevator users. They reduce or eliminate elevator “traffic jams” and offer many other benefits, ranging from design flexibility to better service for people with disabilities. This year, the first “human interface” destination dispatch system was introduced, which uses electronic identification technology to provide customized service for each passenger, and a greater degree of access control where needed.
| This year, the first “human interface” destination dispatch system was introduced, which uses electronic identification technology to provide customized service for each passenger, and a greater degree of access control where needed. |
A Simple Idea
The basic idea behind destination dispatch elevators was simple enough: reduce peak-time congestion and overall passenger commuting times by grouping people with similar destinations into the same elevator. As buildings continued to get larger and taller, the need for a “smart” elevator system that could reduce waiting and the number of stops in large, multi-elevator buildings became obvious … the question was how to do it.
One early solution in tall buildings was to restrict elevators to servicing specified groups of floors. A newer version of this, called “channeling,” electronically programs the number of floors served by each elevator car depending on peak demand times. And, of course, some destinations within buildings—observation decks, restaurants, executive offices—have dedicated or limited-access express elevators. While these solutions were an improvement, they did not always effectively minimize congestion or commute times, and these elevators are still conventional up and down machines.
Algorithmic Alchemy
The idea behind destination dispatch—also known as “call allocation” and “hall call dispatch”—is a little more complex and has proven to be much more effective. With destination dispatch systems, each passenger registers their floor number (or destination) from a central keypad, and the system tells the passenger which elevator to use. There are no push-buttons inside the elevator car; everything is controlled automatically by an algorithm—or electronic “brain”—to ensure maximum efficiency.
Simple as it sounds, it took many years to develop an algorithm advanced enough to rationalize real-time traffic flow, and make a “decision” in a fraction of a second that puts elevators in motion and places each passenger in the most efficient elevator car at that precise moment. Advanced destination dispatch systems continually calculate traffic patterns, analyze usage, monitor floor requests and keep track of frequently visited floors. Weight sensors in each car estimate the number of passengers already on an elevator and decide whether more passengers can be picked up en route. In short, these systems are “smart” because they’re always “thinking.”
Results Drive Demand
The technology is impressive, but it is the noticeable, real-world results that are transforming smart elevators from exciting curiosities into high-growth wonders. Advanced destination-based elevator systems today can reduce individual passenger commute times by 20 to 30 percent. In one study of a 15-story office building, it was found that a destination dispatch elevator made roughly half as many floor stops per trip compared with conventional elevators. This type of performance not only speeds people to their destinations, it also means half as many decelerations and door openings/closing. This translates into less wear and tear on the equipment, and lower energy requirements to run the elevators.
| Advanced destination-based elevator systems today can reduce individual passenger commute times by 20 to 30 percent. |
People notice the improved performance in crowded buildings like the New York Marriott Marquis Hotel near Times Square in New York, and the tower at One Federal Street in Boston, which have Schindler Miconic 10® destination dispatch elevator systems. One popular analogy for explaining the difference between conventional and destination dispatch elevator systems is the contrast between taking a bus and a limousine. Both vehicles get you to your destination, but the limo is faster and knows exactly where you are going.
Smart Benefits
Efficiency is also a key benefit. Because destination dispatch elevators are so efficient, building designers understand that the total number of elevators can be reduced significantly without affecting service, leaving more usable and rentable floor space in new facilities. Recently, designers of a high-rise building in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. were able to reduce the number of elevators from nine to five. In older buildings, retrofitting with a destination dispatch elevator system can allow companies to increase office populations significantly while maintaining good levels of service.
Additional features can be built into the systems, such as the ability to designate elevators temporarily for special visitors, emergency use, freight or maintenance use. For example, the Virginia Mason Hospital in Seattle has a destination dispatch elevator system that makes it easy for personnel to take individual cabs out of general service for emergency or priority uses. The hospital is also equipped with a keypad at the operating room nurses station to call the cars when they need to move a patient. They have even programmed the elevator doors to remain open longer for emergency uses to allow gurneys, wheel chairs and stretchers more time to enter and exit.
Many destination dispatch elevator systems today now include handicap features that use voice and light signals to assist hearing or visually impaired passengers. If a passenger presses the handicap button on the central keypad, destination dispatch systems will assign fewer people to the car to allow room for a wheelchair and delay door closing to allow more time for entry and exit.
The Next Generation
New human interface access control elevator systems combine destination dispatch technology with electronic identification to take efficiency, specialized service and access control a step further. Unlike simple card-access elevators that grant or deny access, these new access control human interface systems use electronic ID cards to access personal data and customize service. Once a person is identified using a badge, PIN code, key tag or other electronic device, the system assigns an elevator car that conforms to their specific needs.
For example, building tenants with disabilities do not have to push the handicap button because the system will automatically “remember” them and activate the special needs they require. VIPs may be assigned to special limited-access elevators. Equally important, the human interface system enables greater control over access to restricted floors when necessary. This elevator not only knows in advance where the passenger is going, it also knows who the passenger is and personalizes each trip accordingly.
Going Up
All new technologies require time to become mainstream realities as people go through yet another learning curve. Unlike most new products, though, destination dispatch and access control elevators typically require just one or two rides before people become familiar with centralized keypads and assigned elevator cars. Pretty soon, they will notice that the morning flocks, lunchtime hordes and evening swarms are much less crowded than before, making it easier to simply enjoy the ride.
About the author: Niki Saloio is sales manager for all Modernization products at Schindler Elevator Corporation. She has been with Schindler for more than six years, where she has been involved in sales engineering, concentrating on destination dispatching. She can be reached at Nicole.Saloio@us.schindler.com.
