controlling elevator with plc

hi, my name kohar. i work my final project at college to control 5th floor elevator. can i get some information to start with, i get confuse with traffic of my elevator

Go ahead and do a search for "elevator" using the search function at the top of the page......

This question comes up a lot, and you should be able to get enough information from the previous discussions to come up with some more specific questions......

If you are confused by the traffic of the elevator, start with the traffic lights, first.

Elevator

Geez,

If he can 'do' traffic lights, the elevator issue will be a snap!

DaMan said:

Geez,

If he can 'do' traffic lights, the elevator issue will be a snap!

Click to expand...

actually i think the elevator program would be way harder than trafic lights..If you want to do it properly that is...
your thoughts elevmike?

Even though the topic has come up several times (elevator control) this time it got me into Googling around for Elevator Control Algorithms. The various papers on control of multiple elevators for optimum usage, minimum passenger wait time and minimum time to destination are fascinating. How in depth do you get into this stuff Mike?

he must have to get into it quite a bit...thats why i say a traffic light is a walk in the park...most builings downtown run on 2 elevators serving the upper floors and two for the lower floors...however say elevator A+B do from G to 10 and c+D from 10 -20..the whole order changes when elevator a goes to the top floor..now A+D do top floors and B+C do lower..
it gets quite complex...

In real life?

Traffic lights can be safety oriented and require some thinking but they are strictly a lighting device.

An elevator is an electro-mechanical device that may carry people so there is a larger safety issue involved. The standards in the US is ASME A17.1 and Canada its CAN/BSA B44, these standards have been harmonized so are now identical. Some of the changes can be viewed here: http://www.otis.com/file/display/1,,5824,00.pdf

I havent worked with elevators that carry people, except for a manlift. I have worked on many elevators that did not carry people, like dumbwaiters. I have known for many years that Elisha Otis is given credit for inventing the safety elevator that was first installed in buildings. Otis Elevator is still a well known name in the field. http://www.otis.com/otis/1,1352,CLI1_RES1,00.html

I personally dont think programming a traffic light would mean its a "snap" to do an elevator, especially if you used real world devices.

Something happened recently that made me investigate the elevator control and repair field. Some of the things I found out were very surprising, elevator systems are one of the prime uses of AI. How Stuff Works has a tutorial on elevators:
http://science.howstuffworks.com/elevator.htm

bernie_carlton said:

Even though the topic has come up several times (elevator control) this time it got me into Googling around for Elevator Control Algorithms. The various papers on control of multiple elevators for optimum usage, minimum passenger wait time and minimum time to destination are fascinating. How in depth do you get into this stuff Mike?

Click to expand...

Not much. There are a lot of BS papers out there touting "Fuzzy logic" & "traffic algorithms" etc..bla bla. But the reality is that it's not that complicated. Simply pick up the people who want to go up on the up run, and pick up the people who want to go down on the down run. If the elevator is filled to capacity, bypass the calls and get'm later.. Group dispaching (3 or more elevators)is'nt that complex once you get the idea. Usually a centeral "Dispatcher" takes the call and position information from each elevator and dispatches them approperatly.

Where things get more complex is predicting chaos. In large buildings such as the Sears Tower, the dispatcher might sample traffic patterns over a years period and use that data to predict how the traffic flow is going to go at a particular time of a particular day. This may sound dazzeling but it's not. I call it call counting. lets say that over time a pattern of calls emerges that tells the dispatcher that everybody wants to go up from 1 at 8:00am and down to 1 at 4:00 pm. You know that because you've counted the calls during fixed periods of time. So at 8:00 you have a predtermend preference to home to 1 to pick up, and at 4:00 you have a preference to pickup at 10 etc...If there's a cafereria on 5 that everybody hits for lunch, then you'll pick up a pattern there also.

In the future you will notice some systems that will direct passengers to get on a particular elevator if they are going to a particular floor. If you get even 50% compliance the traffic effecny will go way up, and may eleminate the need for dedicated HI & LOW bank elevators, = fewer elevators = more leasable floor space.

If only traffic lights did the same call count or anticpation. How many barrels of oil?

Rod said:

If only traffic lights did the same call count or anticpation. How many barrels of oil?

Click to expand...

Now dont start telling me that US citizens care about a barrel of oil less or more

I care very much about oil....

If my facility can't sell it, then my wife will leave me.

Voltimus said:

I care very much about oil....

If my facility can't sell it, then my wife will leave me.

Click to expand...

So much for "for richer or poorer".

Maybe it's a good idea to reduce, or completely remove, the counterweight in elevators.
This way, they will only go down and generate energy.
It will save another few barrels of oil.... will reduce the number of fat people, and get McDonalds back in business....

You got it

So much for "for richer or poorer".

Click to expand...

I think if you read the fine print it is "for richer or poorer",
but not for long!