Escalator Efficiency Control
Engineering Design VI – HW8
Group:
Andrew Hyduchak
Andrew Klieman
James Ray
Leo Dormann
Michael Murphy
Overview
Section 1: Introduction
Section 2: Technical Information
Section 2.1: Functional Description of the Design and its Components
Section 2.2: Technical Description of the Design and its Components
Section 2.3: Mathematical or Other Principles Embedded in the Project
Section 2.4: Performance Expectations/Objectives
Section 3: Critical Evaluation of Project
Section 3.1: The "Good"
Section 3.2: The "Scary"
Section 3.3: The "Fun"
Section 3.4: Funding of Project
Section 4: Summary
Section 5: Miscellaneous
Section 5.1: References and URL’s
Section 5.2: Bios
Section 1: Introduction
Consider the number of malls that are present in America. The
typical person has one or two within short driving distance of them.
And these are not taking account the super malls with more than three
levels. In order to go from level to level, there is typically an
escalator expediting the process. And this escalator is running from
the time the mall is open and until the mall closes. If a mall is
open from 10am-10pm, that is twelve hours of continuous operation but
are all of the escalators in continuous use? While there are times
when there is a large volume of people utilizing this service, there
are times, like when the mall opens in the morning, when the
escalators are bare. The focus of this project will be to create a
device to help cut down on the useless working time.
In these days, people are constantly trying to reduce power usage
and make the machines we use daily become more energy efficient. Many
are looking into renewable energy such as solar or wind power to save
energy and ultimately money. An example of a machine that can be a
figurehead for conserving power is an escalator. Escalators are used
everywhere in the world around us, from malls to hotels to airports.
Escalators are great when there are plenty of people using them, but
what about the times when the demand is not nearly as much? Many malls
turn off some escalators during non-peak hours…but is that really the
most efficient option? According to the Power Efficiency Corporation,
the average shopping mall escalator (with a 7.5 horsepower motor and
rises 15 feet) when used for 14 hours a day, six days a week uses
about 7500 KW hours of power in a year.
From this data, one can imagine how much power is being used by
escalators in the United States. It is estimated that there are over
30,000 escalators in the United States alone. During non-peak hours,
escalators that are running are wasting electricity unless it has a
constant flow of traffic on and off it.
Even when the escalator is running, it is probably using more
power than necessary to run. An escalator is at full capacity when
each step has 150-300 lbs of weight on it, and most often are
escalators are not at full capacity. If the escalator was able to
adjust the power output for the current riders, it could make a
drastic improvement on power efficiency and cost. The escalator
efficiency controller would be able to adjust the power being used to
the amount of people currently on the escalator. What about the times
when the escalator is running while no one is on it? In order to save
electricity even more, an escalator efficiency controller would be
able to shut off the escalator when no one is on it. This would result
in plenty of energy savings over the long haul. A recent European
study estimated that installing such a device on Europe’s escalators
would cut electricity use by 28 percent. Instead of turning off a set
of escalators during non-peak hours and make shoppers annoyed, an
escalator efficiency controller would keep everyone happy. Shoppers
can use the escalators at their leisure, and companies do not need to
worry about wasted energy.
In order to accomplish this task, a mechanism must be chosen to
determine when the escalator is use. This can be accomplished with a
motion detector or a weight analyzer system. This would communicate
with the mechanical device within the escalator as to if it needs to
be in use. The escalator would then go into motion for an allotted
amount of time.
More specifically, the device will also determine the amount of
traffic at a specific time. In other words, if one person utilizes
the escalator and then a few seconds later another person does, the
time the escalator will not simply double. The escalator will begin
running and there will be a delay between that and the start of the
timer. This is to allow another person to utilize the escalator
without having the escalator stop and then start. If during this
timer function another person comes to the escalator, the program will
loop back to the delay function.
In utilizing this device quite a few things will happen. By not
having the escalator be in continuous motion, this cuts down on the
wear in tear on the internal mechanisms within the escalator. By
doing this, less time and money is put into repairing and up-keeping
the escalator. Also, this cuts down on the amount of downtime that is
required to work on the escalator. By cutting down the downtime, a
higher volume of people will be able to utilize the escalator over the
course of the day. This will allow the people to easier get to the
stores on that level, thus potentially increasing revenue. The time
and effort spent on repairing this device would be considerably less.
In addition to this, power costs will be greatly decreased. It
takes a considerable amount of power to keep something of the scale of
an escalator in motion. However a motion sensor takes very little and
can even be battery operated. This drastically cuts down on the cost.
A weight recognizer can even be put into a low power idle state, such
as a computer has a screensaver.
This product is simply a supplement to the already implemented
escalator system. Simple modification of the control system would be
needed. Mall owners would have a small modification to the area in
front of the escalator or the floor in front of the escalator to
implement this device.
The majority of the time spent developing this device will be
spent in making a proper algorithm to make sure the most efficient
delay time will be implemented. A super mall and a local smaller mall
should not have the same delay time. Time must be spent surveying the
flow of shoppers within the malls. The time of day and day of the week
must be considered.
As for the physical development of the product, a programmable
chip must be used. The chip must be able to accept the signals from
the sensor and trigger the start of the program, which will then
switch on the power to the escalator or off.
For the device itself, the appropriate sensor must be chosen. If
the sensor is a weight type sensor, the parts must be able to
withstand the weathering of the people walking across it. Since this
device would be under the tile it would not directly be exposed to the
shoppers, but rather the moving or depressed parts must be made of a
very sturdy plastic. This would be much like how a scale works
internally. However, if a motion type sensor is utilized, the sensor
would be mounted and a simple occasional change of light bulbs will be
in order. The sensor would wirelessly send a signal to the actual
device and trigger the program.
In order to accomplish the fabrication of this design, a person
knowledgeable in circuitry would be needed. The device must be in
some way incorporated into the existing circuitry of the escalator.
The program will send a signal to the control of the power supply.
Being that this device is relatively simple in the amount of
parts incorporated, manufacturing cost will be relatively low. A bulk
cost would be in the installation of the device. The worth will
greatly outweigh the money put in. A mall will save a great deal in
power costs which makes the device very valuable. The larger malls
will have more escalators which results in more power usage. Larger
malls will benefit greatly from this device.
In order to make this a reality, microcontrollers must be
implemented. Microcontrollers can turn a simple closed source device
into an open sourced more interactive device. What is a closed source
device? A closed source device is one that cannot deviate from how it
is programmed. However, a closed source device can become an open
sourced device by the addition of a microcontroller. Take a microwave
oven for example. A user is able to press buttons to choose the time
and temperature of the oven. There are also a few preset settings for
various types of food. Now say a consumer wants to utilize an
intermediate temperature that is not set on the microwave. He cannot
change the settings that are already put in place. The solution to
this is a microcontroller. A programmable microcontroller can be
programmed and implemented to modify the temperature that is already
set and override the preset program.
In order to implement this, one must have some knowledge of the
workings of the existing device hardware and software along with how
they interact with the overall device. A person cannot simply
disconnect to random wires and connect them to a microcontroller and
expect it to work. The person must be able to identify what in the
device switches between the preset temperatures. Then they must break
the circuit so that the signal will be fed into the microcontroller
and translated into the desired output. The user must also somehow
modify the user interface to reflect and control the output. People
modify existing devices to make them more user friendly and this is
very common. One example of such a modification is an iPhone
controlled RC car. One person decided to modify the controller for a
remote controlled car in order to utilize an iPhone. The person
unscrewed the controller and soldered 6 wires to a breadboard. The
person then downloaded a webserver to the microcontroller and attached
it to the breadboard. This allowed the microcontroller to receive
signals from the iPhone and control the car as the user saw fit.
Another example of a microcontroller being utilized was with a
freezer. In this case, the user had a freezer whose compressor was
broken. Due to this defect, the temperature could not be maintained.
In order to fix this problem, the user removed the device controlling
the compressor. In place of this, he used a microcontroller and took
the input and output signals that were originally controlled by the
device, and assigned them to a microprocessor which was then connected
to a digital display. This could now be modified to whatever
temperature
Much like these projects, the escalator efficiency module needs
to break the circuit within the existing escalator controls. This
would be routed to a chip and a receiver which would, like the iPhone
RC car, have a server. The inputs of the server would then be sent
through the chip and trigger the program producing a desired output.
Now instead of a escalator that simply has on and off switch, the
escalator is now controlled by a program.
Section 2: Technical Information
Section 2.1: Functional Description of the Design and its Components
This design incorporates a simple structure making use of the
already existing motor to run the escalator. There is a sensor that
determines the presence of an approaching user. Finally, it is all
connected by an electrical control unit that controls the entire
system. Seen below is the general model of the escalator efficiency
control. The blue box represents the customer who is the trigger of
the entire process. The customer approaches the escalator and
breeches the sensor.
The sensor processes this information, as seen
in the black box. The sensor relays this signal to either power up
the motor as seen by the green box, or to power down as seen by the
red box. This is the overall basic function of the device.
The device is just one part of the overall function. The device
is integrated with the escalator itself. Seen below is the device
interaction with the escalator. The blue circle represents the sensor
and sensor data. The escalator itself is represented by the black
box. It encompasses two major components. These are the control
which is represented by the green triangle and the motor control which
is represented by the orange circle. When the sensor sends a signal,
the signal goes to the control IC. Here, the signal is manipulated
using a written program and outputted to the motor control. The
output lets the motor know how much if any, power to generate.
Once again this is the overall operation of the system. Human
interaction with the sensor initiates commands in the IC, which sends
signals, and power, to the sensor. From this information the IC gives
speed commands to the motor. It also takes into account speeds and
information from the motor. All of these devices are powered using AC
inputs given at the location of the operating escalator.
Section 2.2: Technical Description of the Design and its Components
For the first option the design involves the use of a switch
sensor. When this sensor is tripped by an approaching user the control
IC converts this completion of a circuit into power for the escalator
motor. This is done through the use of software written specifically
for this type of sensor. There is a need for a simple control IC
because simply using the switch to activate the motor will also
deactivate immediately after the user steps off the approach pad and
deactivates the switch. If the switch is deactivated and the motor
doesn’t turn off then there will need to be a timer, or a manual
switch to turn the escalator back off once there is no activity. There
could be use of one supply with custom transformers to convert part,
or most, of the power to the motor. However, since the power
difference between the two is significant, using separate supplies is
ideal.
The IC uses ~5V AC and the motor uses much more ~208V–500V DC.
For each of these systems custom electrical sensor devices are needed
to complete the project. For this option there is the need for a large
approach pad with a conductive bottom that does not touch its base.
The base will include two connections one for each terminal of the
control IC. Once the pad is depressed by an approaching user it will
make a connection between the terminals activating the coded commands.
For all these design options we would use a simple IC with basic
programming options. For this project the Renesas Electronics America
M34286G2GP#U0 with 4-bit programmable core and a speed of 4MHz. It is
20pin chip that runs at 1.8 V ~ 3.6V. This can hold the programming
and meet the simple design requirements.
The Second design option is the use of a scale to trigger the
control IC to activate and deactivate the motor. Once a certain weight
is applied to the approach pad the programming IC applies power
commands to the motor once the desired weight constraint is reached.
After a set time, coded into the IC, and lack of scale activation, the
IC will deactivate the motor. This option must have a low weight
threshold to account for children without being so low that it is
activated without a user. For this design a custom scale will need to
be developed. This will involve a scale company making a sensitive
scale in a large size, or a small scale depressed by a similar method
to the switch sensor.
The final option for the escalator would be the use of a break
beam sensor to activate the motor. Once again without the use of an IC
there would be need for a timer on the motor to deactivate it after a
short period of inactivity with the diode. When someone passes through
the sensor it will break the circuit path and trigger the code written
into the IC to activate the motor. After a designated period of time,
and no activity at the approach pad, the code in the IC will
deactivate the motor. For this design a long range laser will be
needed and a receiving device. This could be similar to any motion
sensor already used to detect intruders. Possible products include the
PDR-V466 by Advanced Photonix Inc for the photodiode detector. For the
laser transmitter there is the D6605I by US-Lasers Inc. Both operate
at 660nm wavelength light while the photodiode operates at 12mA with
5mW power consumption.
For all of these options the motor control will be the same.
Information input from the IC will indicate whether to activate or
deactivate the elevator’s motor. The IC will use information from the
motor to determine the correct command to give. If the motor is
running already and someone passes through the sensor, the IC will do
nothing, allowing the motor to continue running. If the motor is off
and someone passes through the sensor it will activate the motion of
the escalator. If the motor is off and no one activates the sensor
then the IC will idle and allow the motor to stay off. If the motor is
running and no one trips the sensor, the IC will give the command to
deactivate the motor. The motor includes no code or digital
components. It simply powers on and off when the IC makes the
connection between the motor and its power source. It is similar to a
dip switch that activates in one direction and deactivates in the
other. However, in this design the switch is activated and deactivated
based on commands from the coded IC.
Section 2.3: Mathematical or Other Principles Embedded in the Project
In order for the Escalator Efficiency Controller to be an energy
efficient solution for businesses, certain performance benchmarks must
be met. In the age we live in, energy efficiency is a huge issue when
it comes to new devices. The objective of this project is to decrease
the amount of power used by the escalator in general, and as a result,
decrease electricity and energy costs. According to the Power
Efficiency Corporation, the average shopping mall escalator (with a
7.5 horsepower motor and rises 15 feet) when used for 14 hours a day,
six days a week uses about 7500 KW hours of power in a year1. In the
following table, a few standard escalator types are shown with power
usage data.
Escalator Type
Shopping Mall
Hotel
Airport/Subway
1
Motor
Power
7.5 HP
20 HP
40 HP
Height
(ft)
15
20
35
Power Usage
(KwH/year)
7500
31000
60000
How much energy do escalators use? Nina Shen Rastogi. Slate Magazine.
http://www.slate.com/id/2262690/
With an estimated 30,000 escalators in the United States alone2,
there are many opportunities for this device to be put into use.
According to U.S. representative Louise Slaughter, “Escalators are
used more than 90 billion times a year in the U.S. The amount of
energy consumed by their continuous operation is the equivalent of
powering 375,000 homes. The energy cost to the nation is around $260
million per year3.” The average normal escalator assumes 150-300 pounds
are on each step during a given cycle. As one knows, an escalator is
almost never at full capacity, so an escalator is using so much more
energy than is required at the time. Many locations turn off
escalators during non-peak use, but is this really the optimal option
to save electricity? All that does is discourage people from being at
that location during those times, which decreases business in the long
run. The Escalator Efficiency Controller would adjust the output
weight to the current weight on the escalator, saving tons of
electricity, and ultimately, millions of dollars in the process.
Power Usage (KwH/year)
Escalator Power Consumption Per
Year
70000
60000
50000
40000
30000
Normal
20000
With EEC
10000
0
0
10
20
30
40
Escalator Height (in feet)
Type
Shopping Mall
Hotel
Airport/Subway
2
Escalator
Height
15
20
35
Power Usage (Normal)
(KwH/year)
7500
31000
60000
Power Usage (w/ EEC)
(KwH/year)
4950
20460
39600
Escalator. New World Encyclopedia.
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Escalator
3
New Technologies Provide Options for Making Escalators More Energy Efficient. Hurst, John.
http://www.powerefficiencycorp.com/pdf/ElevatorWorldJan07.pdf
Our expectation is that this product would decrease electricity
costs by 20-30% immediately4, and about 33% on average overall5 as
shown in the graph above. It shows the normal power consumption of
three common escalators per year compared to the same models equipped
with the Escalator Efficiency Controller. The Escalator Efficiency
Controller calculates the weight on the escalator in real-time and
then adjusts the output instantaneously. The speed of the escalator
always stays constant, so it abides by ASME 17 standards6, which
require all escalators to move at a constant speed. This Escalator
Efficiency Controller would modify an escalator, but it would operate
the same as normal escalators, so passengers would never notice the
difference, but the company would see a big difference in the monthly
energy bill.
SECTION 2.4: Performance Expectations/Objectives
The goal of our project is to make escalators currently used more
energy efficient. Escalators, even when they are not in use, are on
constantly. One way to make the escalator more energy efficient is
stop or slow the motor when the escalator isn't in use. To do this a
sensor is used to monitor the traffic of the escalator. After a
specified amount of time has passed with no traffic the escalator
motor will slow or stop and turn on again when someone sets off the
sensor.
The first objective of our project is to make it so it can be
attached to currently existing escalators. It would not be as cost
effective to create a whole escalator system as it would be to create
an add-on for current escalators. The programming and parts of the
system will need to be compatible with the programming and parts of
the escalator.
Another objective of our project is to find a way to keep track
of the traffic on the escalator. To do this, a sensor is needed to
provide input whenever someone interacts with the escalator. One
option for the sensor would be a laser/trip sensor. This sensor would
be installed on the top platform if the escalator is moving downward
and on the bottom platform if it is moving upward. One flaw with this
sensor, however, is that the sensor needs to be tripped. People walk
at very different paces and may step over the trip sensor because of
this and not set it off. The laser must cover a broad enough area in
order for it to work. Another choice for a sensor is a pressure
4
Pickerings Lifts: Raising the bar on escalator efficiency.
http://www.pickerings.co.uk/news/Raising_the_bar_on_escalator_efficiency_10841232.html
5
New Technologies Provide Options for Making Escalators More Energy Efficient. Hurst, John.
6
A17.1 Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators
http://www.asme.org/products/courses/a17-1-safety-code-for-elevators-and-escalators
sensor. This sensor would be placed in the same spot as the laser/trip
sensor. The pressure sensor is placed underneath the platform so any
weight on the platform will set the sensor off. This is a more viable
option as everyone has weight and needs to step on the platform before
riding the escalator. There are virtually no problems that can occur
with the sensor recognizing someone on the escalator but maintenance
may be required.
In order for the escalator to be more energy efficient it needs
to be able to turn off or slow down. The biggest problem with this is
the fact that in some states it is illegal to turn off an escalator.
These states say that one of the two escalators in a set (one going up
and one going down) must be on and operational at all times. For these
states our project will have to be different. The idea for our project
is to stop or slow an escalator to make it more energy efficient but
this isn't legal in some states. For escalators in these states our
programming will have to be different. It will need to make sure that
at least one escalator is one at all times. This will also be energy
efficient, as you still have half of the escalators slowing or
stopping instead of all of them, it just isn't as efficient.
One objective that our project has is that it needs to be
sellable. Making an escalator more energy efficient is beneficial to
any company that has or needs an escalator. In order for someone to
purchase our product it needs to be cost efficient for that person.
Because of this, our project needs to cost less than the energy it is
saving. If this costs more than the energy it was saving there would
be no point in purchasing it. Another problem is that most people
don't think of escalators when they think about energy wasters. It
takes over 85,000 KWh a year to power a single escalator, which
equates to about $8500 a year. With a more energy efficient option,
the cost to power these escalators can be cut in half.
Programming is going to be very important in getting our project
to be compatible with the escalators they will be attached to. The
programming used in escalators can vary and our add-on needs to be
able to send commands to the escalator to stop, slow, or start the
motor. There needs to be some way to translate the programming code of
the add-on to the code of the escalator.
For the escalator to stop or slow down there has to be no traffic
on the escalator. The sensor records when someone enters the
escalator. After every time someone steps on the sensor there is a
timer that is initiated. The length of time will vary on each
escalator depending on the length of time it takes for the escalator
step on the bottom to reach the top. The value for the timer can be
any length of time larger than this. If the timer reaches its
duration, it means that no one has stepped on the escalator since the
last person got off. If someone had stepped on the escalator, they
would set off the sensor and restart the time. The escalator motor,
after the timer has completed its duration, would then either slow
down or stop to save energy.
Section 3: Critical Evaluation of Project
Section 3.1
The focus of this project was to design a means to lower the
power consumption of an escalator, while still being able to handle
the demand when required. The microcontroller would be the selling
point for this project, since this would be independent of escalator
make. The microcontroller and the associated logic that would be
packaged with it is a viable product for companies looking to save
money with their operational expenses. This element of our design
strategy would interface with adapter kits that would be bundled to
allow a retrofit on the customer’s existing escalator installation.
The handful of companies that exist could be covered, and any custom
installations can be tailored to with parts that would be on-hand.
The software could be designed to take its configuration settings
from a ROM or memory card, and allow for tweaking and updates to the
customer’s specifications. This would allow us and the customer to
support and maintain the device for its lifespan, avoiding
obsolescence and ensuring continued interaction with the customer. The
possibility of selling warranty and support contracts would make it
more profitable for the company or authorized repairmen. The sensors
that will most likely need to be installed are flexible in their
positioning and could be cheaply replaced were they to malfunction.
Many of the functions that exist could be integrated, and voice
commands and other controls would not be difficult to build if
desired, allowing enhancement for the operating environment, traffic
demands, and power concerns.
Another positive aspect is that a simple design, that is very
flexible, may also be of interest to escalator companies, and may
spark enough interest that the design could be bought up and used.
This may make the design, rather than a business, profitable in the
short term.
There is the possibility that this idea could be taken one step
further. Although this project covers a retrofitting of the
controller, it’s possible to redesign the escalator system to be
superior in the area of energy efficiency. A business could be built
around research and development of modern escalator systems that
deliver energy efficiency. Using new technologies to make the systems
stronger, more reliable, and less expensive to install and maintain
would make for a good business plan.
This microcontroller could be expanded to log certain
measurements and provide it for analysis by the operator. Automation
and central control of these types of systems is easier today than it
ever has been. The old industrial designs meet basic needs, but people
are pinched more and more each day with operating costs. The materials
and manufacturing methods available today would allow for innovation
in an industry that hasn’t been extremely saturated with competition.
Energy efficiency is a popular subject today, and it almost has a cult
following by the general public. One would hope that companies
advertising product efficiencies are truthful in their advertising,
but few question the intricacies of this claim. If we can substantiate
our claims and deliver results, and provide evidence to our claim, we
could once again catch the attention of investors and those in the
industry who would promote something based on its commercial benefit.
The parts making up the microcontroller aren't that complex or
expensive. Everything that is needed to construct one for our project
would be easily obtainable from the labs and budget given. The real
technical and difficult part of this project will lie in the
programming and connection between the escalator and the
microcontroller. There isn't a lot that is needed aside from the
escalator itself.
Implementing the microcontroller to the escalator should be easy.
There are a few connections that need to be made to the escalator from
the microcontroller. There isn't a large amount of removing and
installing to place the microcontroller into the housing of the
escalator. This allows for easy installation in the future making it
fewer man-hours to install, which would also make the overall project
cheaper.
Section 3.2
This project could see serious issues with the escalator
companies developing and packaging their own implementations to save
on electricity. The installing companies have a prior working
relationship with their customers and this may make it difficult to
successfully compete and find customers willing to use the aftermarket
design. Our design, as attractive as it may be, would be overlooked if
the installing company offers it themselves. This affects new
installation primarily, which is not our target market. However, a
company module would most likely be backwards compatible, and this
would also drastically limit sales and implements. As mentioned
before, it could be a positive aspect, but an existing warranty with
the company may be voided out if our controller is installed. The
owner would most likely stick with the company-made module, just
because of the name on it.
This simplistic design would not be hard to copy or mimic with a
custom-made arrangement. An engineering firm that designs custom
controllers may also be able to do it for roughly the same price. All
of this makes the market smaller and smaller, in turn making the
venture less than likely to turn a profit, let alone cover operating
costs. The motors that are at the escalator installation may not be
able to handle the demands of variable speed, as discussed earlier in
the project, and may make it too expensive, and therefore pointless in
implementing. There are some places where the need to save money on
electricity is of little concern, and this product would not have the
same appeal. Urban areas are most likely to have escalators running
for long periods of time, and unfortunately, are also some of the
places with higher energy costs. Rural and low per-kW cost areas will
not see the same benefits, and may limits its appeal to this group.
The project will also hit a serious snag if the group cannot
obtain access to an escalator system to analyze and experiment with.
It is not practical to buy one, or even an old one, as space would be
limited. It may be possible to build a scale model to test, but this
carries with it a number of other problems. The scaling may not
reflect real-world scenarios, and would not provide us access to a
real setup to build something useful. Getting a model you built to
work is quite different from getting a real escalator to respond
properly.
Companies may also have built methods to prevent tampering with
their systems. If we could not reverse engineer or gain access to
these specific details, the controller may not work with all the
systems that are running in public. It may require significant
rebuilding of the existing layout, and may negate the cost
effectiveness of the controller. This is probably of minimal concern,
but the possibility still exists.
Another problem that we may encounter is that the microcontroller
needs to be cost effective. If the cost of the energy that the
microcontroller will save is not higher than the cost of the
microcontroller with installation, then there would be no point in
buying this product.
Section 3.3
This project would be fun to embark on because of the access it
gives you to otherwise mundane objects in our everyday world. So many
times we ride escalators, when going to work, shop, and play, but
seldom do we see the inner workings. Being able to tinker and work
with these systems would be a unique opportunity. If you can redefine
the industry, or at least find ways to improve it, you could make a
large impact, since the number of companies involved is smaller than
many other industries. You’d get to work over the designs and see
firsthand how it builds into an environment. The satisfaction of
designing something and seeing people use your work is very fulfilling
and makes the project a benefit to the community it is installed in.
This would also provide an opportunity to work with public
institutions to help your community, and possibly many others
nationwide. The experience of working to better your community and see
a reward at the end is a great motivator and could surely help push a
project through to completion.
There is also a lot that goes into making escalators. It's
amazing the precision that is needed for each part of an escalator. If
a single step of an escalator was off by a fraction of an inch, the
entire system would break down. Working with such precision would be
both fun and challenging.
Saving energy provides many benefits. By using less energy, less
non-renewable resources are used. Less energy produced also means that
there is less pollution created by power plants. Our planet is
constantly being polluted and helping to reduce the amount of
pollution being pumped into our atmosphere would provide our group
with a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. An average escalator
that runs constantly, like in subway terminals and airports, uses
60000 KWh annually. Decreasing the energy used by an escalator by 50%
would be saving the equivalent of three average U.S. households annual
power usage.
Section 3.4
Funding this project will be one challenge to overcome in order to
see it to completion. There are a number of ways by which this can be
accomplished.
1. The project can be built into an escalator system at a building
as proof of concept and a showcase for its use. The group would
effectively become consultants and freelance engineers. This
would make the initial venture a “study and build” project, and
may be the easiest to find as a source for funding. A local
individual may want to save money on their escalator, and could
use our skills to accomplish this goal. A custom built system
would be inexpensive for the investor, because our labor cost
would be small, with the majority of it going towards parts. If
the project is a good success, it makes a good showcase for
future installations, and could catch the interest of a company
that may want to purchase the design.
2. There are a number of companies that already sell escalators,
elevators and other publicly used mechanical walkways. These
companies hire engineers to tackle challenges such as this. As an
engineer for one these companies, your work may be
troubleshooting and maintaining existing installations, designing
future configurations, or custom building for a specific
customer. This would give you access to test beds, as it would be
impractical to test on a used system. The most difficult aspect
of completing this project is getting access to an escalator to
test and build the controller. A company in this industry would
probably have the equipment to make it a reality. On top of
building it as a senior project, you can also use it to benefit
your professional relationship as an employee of the company. The
project gives you practical experience, and if done through the
company, may provide rewards of compensation and a job upon
graduation.
3. The project is of very low cost to build and implement. The
controller would cost very little for a full-featured board, and
the software is usually free. There are many open source projects
that provide code for embedded controllers, and usually companies
that produce these types of boards cater to this type of
development, since it makes their products competitive by cutting
the costs of software licensing. Avoiding being bound by a
license for commercial software would save a lot of money and
protect the design from being replicated so easily. The
programmed functions are relatively simple to write. The complex
part will be studying and collecting data while developing
profiles and behaviors of the system. Analysis and modeling will
take time, and may cost money to acquire the equipment needed to
log the information. The same problem exists along this route as
before: where to access an escalator to study and work on. The
project may require a donation of an old escalator system from a
building being demolished, or an old setup being replaced. This
could be scaled to a workable space, but still may be difficult
to obtain the workspace to do so. The idea mentioned before could
also be used here, simply for the sake of access to the
escalator. Our time may not be rewarded, but if we could not find
someone to hire the group to design the system for them, we may
need to seek somewhere that would accept it as a donation. Public
buildings or private non-profit organizations could take
advantage of the energy savings and their aid to students.
4. Private corporations have a large lobby in Congress pushing
“energy efficiency” everything. By this I mean legislation,
social policy, regulations through the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) and other bureaucratic bodies stepping in to promote
the “green economy” as it’s coined. Though it mainly shuts down
large corporation’s competition in the marketplace, it also
creates grants that savvy entrepreneurs could use to fund their
research project. These grants are offered at federal and state
levels, focusing on different issues. This project could applied
to studies relating to public energy usage, and the data
collected could be used to implement a design. The funding could
also cover and equipment or facilities needed to complete the
study. Individual investors may have trouble seeing the profit at
the end. Energy companies may also fund research if it is
presented properly, because concern for dwindling infrastructure
capacity may prompt them to find ways to reduce the load on their
grid. PSE&G and ConEdison promote efficiency programs, and the
number of escalators in our urban region may provide for a
convincing argument as to why they should fund us and the
benefits it will provide them. These sources are easier to tap
when working in the context of education, and would most likely
not see success if a company attempted the same thing.
These are just a few of the options to find funding for the project.
The components that make up are relatively inexpensive, and become
cheaper when purchased in quantity. The most difficult problem with
the project is finding an escalator to work on, and accessing others
to design interfacing. Though this may not incur great costs, it may
not be possible.
Section 4: Summary
When a person walks into a company’s office and tells them that
they have a product that will save them a large sum of money, the
company is often willing to listen. A successful, business is a
business that minimizes expenses and maximizes profit. Wasted energy
is an additional expense that can be minimized. The Escalator
Efficiency Controller is such a device that can do this.
In the United States there is almost no competition with such a
device.
This device abides by the United States Laws and regulations
and is a relatively inexpensive device to create. It combines
existing products which makes it very simple to create. Due to the
fact that it saves companies such large sums of money, this is also a
very lucrative venture to embark on. The pros strongly outweigh the
cons and the value strongly outweighs the risks. This makes this
device a plausible investment.
Section 5: Miscellaneous
Section 5.1: Reference and URL’s
1. http://www.glolab.com/pirparts/infrared.html
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microprocessor
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photoresistor
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radar
5. http://www.hvs.com/article/4113/taming-the-escalating-cost-of-escalators-withreduced
6. http://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/household-
safety/security/question238.htm
7. http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/freeabs_all.jsp?arnumber=4503770
8. http://journals.lww.com/acsmmsse/Abstract/2004/05000/Motion_Sensor_Accuracy_under_Controlled_and.25.aspx
9. http://www.lift-report.de/index.php/news/455/380/Escalator-Human-FactorsPassenger-Behaviour-Accidents-and-Design
10. http://www.nerdkits.com/projects/
11. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2010/11/29/AR2010112904996.html
Section 5.2: Bios
Andrew Hyduchack: Andrew did the research and examined the human
interaction with the device. This includes the human behavior aspect
along with the data as far as accidents and probability are concerned.
Andrew Klieman: Andrew developed the expectations and performance
aspect of the project. This includes the financial expectations and
what the objectives of the project were.
James Ray: James developed the integration aspect of the project.
This outlines how the device will fit in with the existing escalator.
Also, this includes how the device will affect the overall escalator
device system.
Leo Dorman: Leo covered the hardware and technical aspect of the
project. This encompasses the different designs along with the
specifics of each part.
Michael Murphy: Michael came up with all of the numbers that went
into the device. He found the amount of power the escalators used.
Along with this, he found the regulations with which the device had to
abide.