Escalator Efficiency Control

Engineering Design VI – HW8Group:

Andrew HyduchakAndrew Klieman

James RayLeo 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’sSection 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

Motor Power

Height

(ft)Power Usage (KwH/year)

Shopping Mall 7.5 HP 15 7500Hotel 20 HP 20 31000

1 How much energy do escalators use? Nina Shen Rastogi. Slate Magazine. http://www.slate.com/id/2262690/

Airport/Subway 40 HP 35 60000

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.

10 15 20 25 30 35 400

10000200003000040000500006000070000

Escalator Power Consumption Per Year

NormalWith EEC

Escalator Height (in feet)

Pow

er U

sage

(Kw

H/ye

ar)

TypeEscalator Height

Power Usage (Normal) (KwH/year)

Power Usage (w/ EEC) (KwH/year)

Shopping Mall 15 7500 4950Hotel 20 31000 20460

Airport/Subway 35 60000 39600

2 Escalator. New World Encyclopedia. http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Escalator3 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.html5 New Technologies Provide Options for Making Escalators More Energy Efficient. Hurst, John. 6 A17.1 Safety Code for Elevators and Escalatorshttp://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-with-

reduced

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/acsm-msse/Abstract/2004/05000/

Motion_Sensor_Accuracy_under_Controlled_and.25.aspx

9. http://www.lift-report.de/index.php/news/455/380/Escalator-Human-Factors-

Passenger-Behaviour-Accidents-and-Design

10. http://www.nerdkits.com/projects/

11. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/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.