Elevators use a computer to determine which elevator is closest to the ground floor when the call button is pressed. The elevator uses magnetic or optical sensors to count the number of dots on a tape to reach the desired floor. Elevators use steel cables and counterweights to reduce energy needed. They have built-in safety features and redundant systems. Elevators may take a long time to reach your floor because they are programmed to provide the most efficient service possible. Modern elevators have peaks at various times of the day and may find other ways to meet passenger needs.
Perhaps the best way to illustrate how elevators work is to take a virtual tour of the surprisingly well-fortified WiseGEEK offices on the 65th floor of a modern office building. When you first enter the lobby, you’ll notice a row of elevators clustered together. What you’re actually seeing is a set of ports and a call button. When you press the call button, a command is sent to a computer that controls all elevators. The computer determines which of the elevators is moving down and is closest to the ground floor.
When the selected elevator car reaches the ground floor, the computer commands a soft stop of the electric motor at the top of the elevator shaft. Once the computer detects that the elevator door and the lobby door are at the same level, it commands the electrically powered arms to retract both doors. At this point, you can enter the elevator car itself. By pressing the button numbered “65”, you have sent an order to the computer that controls all the elevators. The computer knows you want to reach the 65th floor, but it’s actually using magnetic or optical sensors to count the number of dots on a long tape placed at the side of the elevator shaft. When the car has passed enough points, the computer instructs the electric motor to stop the winch.
The lifts use steel cables and a powerful winch to raise or lower their cars. To reduce the amount of energy needed to overcome friction and gravity, elevators also use heavy steel plates as counterweights for passenger cars. These counterweights are attached to the other side of the steel cable rings and generally weigh around 40% of the maximum load limit of passenger cars. When the car goes up, an electric motor turns a winch and the counterweights fall towards the ground. You may feel a breeze if you are facing a group of elevators. This breeze is caused by the counterweights as they pass over the floor.
Once the lift computer detects that you have reached the 65th floor, electric motors open both the lift and the lobby doors. Should you hesitate between doors, the mechanical and electrical sensors should prevent the doors from closing. If there is no elevator behind a lobby door, the lobby door shouldn’t open. Elevators have a significant number of redundant systems and built-in safety features, including emergency brakes, call boxes and shock absorbers. The chances of elevators snapping all cables and plummeting to the ground are virtually zero.
Believe it or not, there’s a reason elevators sometimes take a long time to reach your floor. The computer that controls all elevators is programmed to provide the most efficient service possible. Elevators tend to go all the way up before starting a downward journey. If you press a call button on the ground floor, ascending elevators will most likely ignore the call entirely. Only descending elevators will reach the ground floor in a timely manner, and only after they have offloaded passengers on all other floors. This is also why you may have to travel before you reach your lower destination.
Some modern elevators have peaks at various times of the day, such as shift changes or lunch breaks. The computers responsible for these elevators can send multiple cars to a specific floor at a specific time to handle sudden demand. Elevators can go down to garage level or down to a company cafeteria, based on a history of elevator usage. Future elevators may find other ways to meet passenger needs without the delays caused by the current up-or-down philosophy. Call buttons may also be replaced by more interactive devices that respond to voice commands or electronic badges worn by employees working specific floors.
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