Round Trip Time Calculations

3 Elevator Traffic Analysis and
Design
Selected Topics in Mechatronics 0908589

Copyright held by the author 2011, Lutfi Al-Sharif Page 1 of 24

Chapter 3
Elevator Traffic Analysis and Design
(Revision 9.0, 9/3/2011)

1. Summary of the Traffic Analysis and Design Steps
The following steps have to be followed in the elevator traffic analysis and design
procedure.

1) Inputs: The input parameters needed in order to carry out the traffic analysis for a
building are as follows:

a) Type of building (office, residential, hotel, hospital, shopping centre.....etc).
b) Number of floors above ground.
c) Floor heights.
d) Net areas for each floor.
e) In certain cases the client might specify the required interval and the
expected arrival rate.

2) Analysis: The designer will then carry out the following:

a. Find the recommended speed based on dividing the total travel by 20 and
finding the nearest preferred speed value.
b. Set the suitable values of jerk and acceleration depending on the type of
traffic in the type of building given (e.g., for a hospital, select low values of
acceleration and jerk).
c. If not set by the client, deciding on the suitable arrival rate for the type of
traffic in the type of building given.
d. If not set by the client, deciding on the suitable interval for the type of traffic
in the type of building given.
e. Decide on a starting number of lifts.
f. Decide on a starting capacity for the lifts.
g. Carry out the traffic analysis that provides the required interval at the
expected arrival rate.
h. Change the number of lifts up or down until the required interval is
achieved.
i. Once the interval is achieved, fix the number of lifts.
j. If it is not possible to find a suitable solution using a maximum number of
10 lifts then investigate zoning the building into two or three zones if
needed.
k. Depending on the car loading percentage, reduce the capacity of the lifts
used until the loading percentage is near 80%.
l. Select the suitable number, speed and capacity of the goods lift required.
m. Select the suitable number of fie fighting lifts, using the 60 second rule to
decide on the speed of the lifts.

3) Outputs: The aim of the traffic is to find the following parameters:

a) Speed of the lifts.
b) Number of lifts.
Design


c) Capacity of the lifts.
d) Zoning if required.
e) Goods lift requirements.
f) Fire fighting lifts requirements.

2. Legend
t is the round trip time in s
int is the interval at the main terminal in s
L is the number of the elevators in the group
U is the total building population
U
i
is the building population on the i
th
floor
HC% is the handling capacity expressed as a percentage of the building population
in five minutes
AR% is the passenger arrivals expressed as a percentage of the building population
in the busiest five minutes
N is the number of floors above the main terminal
H is the highest reversal floor (where floors are numbered 0, 1, 2.N
S is the probable number of stops
d
f
is the typical height of one floor in m
v is the top rated speed in m/s
a is the top acceleration in m/s
2

j is the top rated speed in m/s
3

t
f
is the time taken to complete a one floor journey in s assuming that the lift attains
the top speed v
CC is the car carrying capacity in persons
P is the number of passengers in the car when it leaves the ground (does not need to
be an integer)
d
G
is the height of the ground in m where more than the typical floor height
t
do
is the door opening time in s
t
dc
is the door closing time in s
t
sd
is the motor start delay in s
t
ao
is the door advance opening time in s (where the door starts opening before the
car comes to a complete standstill)
t
pi
is the passenger boarding time in s
t
po
is the passenger alighting time in s

3.0 Introduction
The round trip time (t ): The round trip time is defined as the time taken for the
elevator to pick up the passengers from the main lobby, travel to the upper floors and
deliver the passengers to their destinations and then express back to the main
terminal again to pick up more passengers.
t must be measured between one event and exactly the following event. For
example it could be measured between the doors starting to open at the main
terminal until they start re-opening again at the main terminal.
The highest floor that the elevator reaches in one round trip is called the highest
reversal floor, H. It can be less than or equal to N, the number of floor above the
main terminal. It does not need to be an integer.
The number of stops that the elevator makes in one round trip is called the
probable number of stops, S. It can be less than or equal to the number of
passengers in the car, P. It does not need to be an integer.
Design


When more than one lift is present in the same group, then ideally they have to be
spread evenly. The interval is the time between the arrivals of the lift in the main
terminal. The interval is obtained by dividing the round trip time by the number of
elevators in the same group. Thus the interval can be improved either by increasing
the number of elevators or reducing the round trip time. The round trip time can be
reduced by increasing the speed or reducing the number of stops or reducing the
highest reversal floor.
The various parameters used in the elevator traffic analysis are shown in the table
below:
Design


Parameter Definition
Typical values
or comments

The round trip time

The average time taken by the elevator to do a
complete cycle in the building during up peak
conditions (pick up passengers from the main
terminal, travel to the upper floors and then
express back to the main terminal again)

int The interval
The average time between successive arrivals of
elevators in the main terminal
30 s
L
Number of elevators in
the same group
Number of elevators in the same group 2 to 8
U Population Total building population
HC% The handling capacity
The percentage of the building population
transported in five minutes

AR% The arrival rate
The passenger arrivals expressed as a percentage
of the building population in the busiest five minutes

N Number of floors The number of floors above the main terminal
Note that the
total number of
floors is N+1
(when the main
terminal is
included)
H
The highest reversal
floor
Highest reversal floor (where floors are numbered
0, 1, 2.N)

N H s
CC Car carrying capacity
The car carrying capacity in persons. This is
theoretical capacity of the car.

P Passengers in the car
The number of passengers in the car when it leaves
the main terminal (does not need to be an integer).
This is the effective capacity of the car
CC P = 8 . 0
S
The probable number
of stops
Probable number of stops the that elevator will
make in one round trip

P S s
d
f
Floor to floor height
The typical height of one floor in m (finished floor
level to finished floor level, FFL to FFL)
No need to
enter this value
for the top
most floor
4 m
v Speed The rated speed in m/s
a Acceleration The top acceleration in m/s
2
1
j Jerk The top rated speed in m/s
3
0.5 to 1.5
t
f
One floor cycle time
The time taken to complete a one floor journey in s
assuming that the lift attains the top speed v

d
G
Main terminal height
the height of the main terminal in m where more
than the typical floor height
5 m
t
do
Door opening time
The door opening time in s

2 s
t
dc
Door closing time
The door closing time in s

3 s
t
sd
Motor start delay
The motor start delay in s

0.5 s
t
ao

Advance door opening
time
The door advance opening time in s (where the
door starts opening before the car comes to a
complete standstill)
Do not use on
safety grounds
t
pi

Passenger boarding
time
The passenger boarding time in s 1 to 1.2 s
t
po

Passenger alighting
time
The passenger alighting time in s 1 to 1.2 s
Design


4. Number of passengers
It is accepted in practice that the car does not fill up completely. In general it only fills
up to 80% of the car carrying capacity.

CC P = % 80

5. The Probable Number of Stops
The probable number of stops S is the average number of stops that the elevator
makes in one round trip journey

|
|
.
|
\
|
|
.
|
\
|
=
P
N
1
1 1 N S
for equal floor populations

=
|
.
|
\
|
=
N
1 i
P
i
U
U
1 N S
for unequal floor populations where U
i
is the
population of floor i and U is the total building
population.

6. The Highest Reversal Floor
The highest reversal floor H is the highest floor that the lift reaches in a round trip
journey.

P
1 N
1 i
N
i
N H

=
|
.
|
\
|
=
for equal floor populations

= =
|
|
.
|
\
|
=
1 N
1 j
P
j
1 i
i
U
U
N H
for unequal floor populations where U
i
is the floor
population of floor i and U is the total building
population.

7. The Round Trip Time Equation
In this section, the equation for the round trip time equation is derived from first
principles. It makes the following assumption:

1. The traffic is pure incoming traffic (up peak only). All passengers arrive at the
entrance and board the elevator to go to his/her destination on one of the
upper floors.

2. In one trip time, the elevator makes S stops and reaches H highest reversal
floor. These two variables have been derived elsewhere. They depend on the
number of floors above the main entrance (the lobby), N, and on the number
of passengers in the car, P. They can be derived for the general case where
the floor populations are unequal or for the special case where the floor
populations are equal.

3. The elevator collects P passengers from the main terminal (lobby) and
delivers them to their selected destinations. It then expresses back to the
main terminal to pick another set of P passengers.

Design


4. Every time the elevators stops at a floor, it takes time for the doors to open,
the passengers to transfer (in at the main terminal and out at the destination
floors) and then for the doors to close. Further delay at each stop is caused
by the start delay of the motor. The delay will be reduced in the case of
advanced door opening.

5. The assumption will be made that the elevator will attain its top speed in one
floor journey.

6. The assumption will also be made that the floor heights are equal.

7. The assumption will also be made that there is only one entrance floor (arrival
floor). All passengers arrive through this single entrance.

The round trip time is made up of main three parts: the time spent at the ground floor
collecting passengers, the time spent travelling to the upper floors and delivering
passengers to their destination, and the third part is the express travel back from the
highest reversal back to the main terminal.

t
acc
is the time taken to accelerate up to the top speed from standstill in s
t
dec
is the time taken to decelerate down from the top speed down to standstill in s

H S MT
t t t t + + =

Where:
MT
t is the time spent at the main terminal in s
S
t is the time spent travelling to the upper destination floors and delivering the
passengers in s
H
t is the time spent expressing back to the main terminal from the highest reversal
floor in s

The time spent at the main terminal involves the opening of the door, the transfer of
P passengers into the car and the closing of the door, in addition to the start delay
minus the advanced door opening.

( ) ( )
pi ao sd dc do MT
t P t t t t + + + = t

( ) ( ) ( )
( ) ( )
( )
po ao sd dc do dec acc
f f f
po ao sd dc do dec acc
f
po ao sd dc do
f
dec acc S
t P t t t t t t
v
d
v
d
S
v
d
H
t P t t t t t t S
v
d
H
t P t t t t S
v
d H
t t S
+
|
|
.
|
\
|
+ + + + + +
|
|
.
|
\
|
=
+ + + + + +
|
|
.
|
\
|
=
+ + + +
|
|
.
|
\
|
|
|
.
|
\
|
+ + = t

But

Design


j
a
a
v
v
d
t t t t t
v
d
t
f
dec acc v dec acc
f
f
+ + = + + = + + =

( )
po ao sd dc do
f
f
f
S
t P t t t t
v
d
t S
v
d
H +
|
|
.
|
\
|
+ + + +
|
|
.
|
\
|
= t

The third part of the round trip time equation is the time taken to travel back from the
highest reversal floor express back to the main terminal:

|
|
.
|
\
|
+
|
|
.
|
\
|
=
|
|
.
|
\
|
+ +
|
|
.
|
\
|
=
|
|
.
|
\
|
+ +
=
v
d
t
v
d H
j
a
a
v
v
d H
j
a
a
v
v
d H
f
f
f
f
f
H
t

Adding all the three elements together gives:

( ) ( ) ( )
( ) ( )
po pi ao sd dc do
f
f
f
f
f
f
po ao sd dc do
f
f
f
pi ao sd dc do
H S MT
t t P t t t t
v
d
t S
v
d
H
v
d
t
v
d H
t P t t t t
v
d
t S
v
d
H t P t t t t
+ +
|
|
.
|
\
|
+ + + + +
|
|
.
|
\
|
=
|
|
.
|
\
|
+
|
|
.
|
\
|
+
+
|
|
.
|
\
|
+ + + +
|
|
.
|
\
|
+ + + + =
+ + =
1 2
t t t t

The equation for the round trip time (RTT) can be written as follows:

( ) ( )
|
|
.
|
\
|
+ + +
|
|
.
|
\
|
+ + + + +
|
|
.
|
\
|
=
v
d d
t t P t t t t
v
d
t S
v
d
H
f G
po pi ao sd dc do
f
f
f
2 1 2 t

Note that the last term has been added to the case where the main terminal (the
lobby) has a floor height that is more than the typical floor height. As this distance is
covered in both the up and down directions, it has been multiplied by 2. d
G
is the
height of the main terminal floor.
In general for most buildings (especially office buildings) the main terminal or
the lobby has a height greater than the typical floor height, usually for aesthetic
reasons but sometimes for functional reasons as well.

8. The Handling Capacity
The handling capacity is the percentage of the building population that can be moved
in five minutes.
Design


U
P L
HC

=
t
300
%

9. The Interval
The interval is the average time between the arrivals of consecutive elevators in the
main terminal.
L
int
t
=

11. Kinematic Equations
The time t taken to complete a journey of distance d, with a top speed of v, top
acceleration a, and top jerk j can be calculated as follows under the three different
conditions:

If
|
|
.
|
\
| +
>
aj
j v v a
d
2 2
then
j
a
a
v
v
d
t + + =

If
|
|
.
|
\
| +
< s
aj
j v v a
d
j
a 2
2 2
2
3
then
2
j
a
a
d 4
j
a
t
|
|
.
|
\
|
+ + =
If
2
3
j
a 2
d < then
3
1
j
d 32
t
|
|
.
|
\
|
=

12. Mathematical Proof the Probable Number of Stops for Equal floor
Population
Starting from first principles, derive an expression for the probable number of stops
(S) and the probable highest reversal floor (H) that a lift will make in a round trip
journey during up peak (incoming traffic).
Under up peak (incoming traffic) conditions, the lift will fill up with passengers at
the ground floor, and then deliver the passengers to their destinations in the upper
floors. It then expresses back to the ground floor to collect more passengers and so
on.
The car has a capacity CC, but only fills up to P passengers. The number of
floors above ground is denoted by N.
Assume that the floors have equal populations. State all the assumptions that you
make in your derivation.

Solution
We shall assume equal floor populations and that passenger destinations are
independent (i.e., one passengers choice of destination will not influence another
passengers choice of destination).

Derivation of the probable number of stops
The probably that passenger j will stop at a floor i:

|
.
|
\
|
=
N
1
) i floor at stop will j pass ( P

Design


where N is the number of floors above the main lobby. Thus the probability that
passenger j will not stop at a floor i is:

|
.
|
\
|
=
N
1
1 ) i floor at stop NOT will j pass ( P

But the car contains P passengers. So the probability that none of them will stop at
floor i is the product of all of their respective probabilities:

P
N
1
1 ) i floor at stop NOT will pass all ( P
|
.
|
\
|
=

where P is the number of passengers in the car when it leave the ground floor. The
complement of this quantity is the probability that at least one passenger will stop at
a floor:

P
N
1
1 1 ) i floor a at stop will pass one least at ( P
|
.
|
\
|
=

But this is the same as the probability that a stop will take place on floor i. So the
probability of stopping on a floor i is:

P
N
1
1 1 ) i floor at stop a ( P
|
.
|
\
|
=

The expected value of the number of stops can be obtained by adding the
probabilities of stopping on all N.

( )
|
|
.
|
\
|
|
.
|
\
|
=
|
|
.
|
\
|
|
.
|
\
|
=

=
P
N
1 i
P
N
1
1 1 N
N
1
1 1 1 stops of number E

Thus the probable number of stops S is equal to:

( )
|
|
.
|
\
|
|
.
|
\
|
= =
P
N
1
1 1 N stops of number E S

13. Mathematical Proof the Highest Reversal Floor for Equal Floor Populations
Starting from first principles, derive an expression for the probable highest reversal
floor (H) that a lift will make in a round trip journey during up peak (incoming traffic).
Under up peak (incoming traffic) conditions, the lift will fill up with passengers at
the ground floor, and then deliver the passengers to their destinations in the upper
on.
floors above ground is denoted by N.
Design


Assume that the floors have equal populations. State all the assumptions that you
make in your derivation.

Solution

|
.
|
\
|
=
N
1


|
.
|
\
|
=
N
1


P
N
1
|
.
|
\
|
=

The probability that the lift will not travel any higher than a floor i is the probability that
it will not stop on floor i+1 or i+2 or i+3 all the way to floor N. This is expressed as
the product of these individual probabilities:

P P P P P
1 i
1
1
2 i
1
1 .......
2 N
1
1
1 N
1
1
N
1
1
) i floor above travel not will lift ( P
|
.
|
\
|
+

|
.
|
\
|
+
|
.
|
\
|

|
.
|
\
|

|
.
|
\
|

=

This can be re-written as:

P P P P P
1 i
i
2 i
1 i
.......
2 N
3 N
1 N
2 N
N
1 N
|
.
|
\
|
+
|
.
|
\
|
+
+
|
.
|
\
|
|
.
|
\
|
|
.
|
\
|
=

Putting all terms inside the same bracket gives:

P
1 i
i
2 i
1 i
.......
2 N
3 N
1 N
2 N
N
1 N
|
|
.
|
\
|
|
.
|
\
|
+
|
.
|
\
|
+
+
|
.
|
\
|
|
.
|
\
|
|
.
|
\
|
=

This simplifies to:

Design


P
N
i
|
.
|
\
|
=

Note that this is also equal to the probability that the highest reversal floor will be any
of the floors 1 to i. In other words, it is the probability that the higher reversal floor
will be floor 1 or 2 or 3..or i, or the sum of these probabilities.

( ) ) ( )......... 3 ( ) 2 ( ) 1 ( ) ( i H P H P H P H P i floor above travel not will lift P = + = + = + =

Applying the same argument to floor i-1, gives the following:

P
N
i
i floor above travel not will lift P |
.
|
\
|
=
1
) 1 (

Note that this is also equal to the probability that the highest reversal floor will be any
of the floors 1 to i-1. In other words, it is the probability that the higher reversal floor
will be floor 1 or 2 or 3..or i-1, or the sum of these probabilities.

( ) ) 1 ( )......... 3 ( ) 2 ( ) 1 ( ) ( = + = + = + = i H P H P H P H P i floor above travel not will lift P

If we subtract the two expressions from each other only one term remains (which is
the probability that the highest reversal floor is i. So the probability that the i
th
floor is
the highest reversal floor is the probability that the lift does not travel above the i
th

floor minus the probability that the lift does not travel above the (i-1)
th
floor. Thus:

P P
N
i
N
i
floor reversal highest the is i floor P
|
.
|
\
|
|
.
|
\
|
=
1
) (

But any of the floors from 1 to N could be the highest reversal floor. The expected
value of the highest reversal is the weighted sum of all the possible highest reversal
floors (i.e., 1 to N) each multiplied by their respective probabilities:

=
|
|
.
|
\
|
|
|
.
|
\
|
|
.
|
\
|
|
.
|
\
|
=
=
N
1 i
P P
N
1 i
N
i
i ) H ( E
) floor reversal highest ( value ected exp

Re-arranging the two terms will make it easier to simplify later on:

=
|
|
.
|
\
|
|
|
.
|
\
|
|
.
|
\
|
+
|
.
|
\
|
=
N
1 i
P P
N
i
N
1 i
i ) H ( E

Expanding gives:

Design


( ) ( )
( ) ( )
|
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.
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\
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|
.
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\
|
+
|
.
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\
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+
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+
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\
|

|
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+
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+
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+
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+
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+
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=
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+
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+
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+
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\
|

|
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|
.
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|
+
|
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|
+
|
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.
|
\
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|
.
|
\
|
+
|
.
|
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|
+
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.
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\
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|
.
|
\
|
+
|
.
|
\
|
=
P P P P
P P P P P P
P P P P
P P P P P P
N
N
N
N
1 N
N
N
1 N
1 N
N
2 N
1 N
...
N
3
3
N
2
3
N
2
2
N
1
2
N
1
N
0
N
N
N
1 N
N
N
1 N
N
2 N
1 N
...
N
3
N
1 3
3
N
2
N
1 2
2
N
1
N
1 1
1 ) H ( E

Simplifying gives:

N
N
1 N
.....
N
3
N
2
N
1
0 ) H ( E
P P P P
+
|
.
|
\
|
|
.
|
\
|
|
.
|
\
|
|
.
|
\
|
=

This can be rearranged as:

=
|
.
|
\
|
=
1 N
1 i
P
N
i
N ) H ( E

Note that the summation extends only to N-1 (i.e., not N). Also note that the
maximum possible value of H is N, which is to be expected at high values of P.

14. Mathematical Proof the Lowest Floor Express for Equal Floor Populations
Starting from first principles, derive an expression for the probable lowest floor to
which the lift will travel without stopping in a round trip journey during up peak
(incoming traffic).
Under up peak (incoming traffic) conditions, the lift will fill up with passengers
at the ground floor, and then deliver the passengers to their destinations in the upper
on.
floors above ground is denoted by N. Assume that the floors have equal populations.
State all the assumptions that you make in your derivation.

Solution

|
.
|
\
|
=
N
1


Design


|
.
|
\
|
=
N
1


P
N
1
|
.
|
\
|
=

The probability that the lift will not stop at any floor lower than i is the probability that
it will not stop on floor 1, 2, 3 all the way to floor i-1. This is expressed as the
product of these individual probabilities:

P P P P
i N N N N
i below floor any at stop not will elevator P
|
.
|
\
|
+
|
.
|
\
|

|
.
|
\
|

|
.
|
\
|

=
2
1
1 .......
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
) (


P P P P P
i N
i N
i N
i N
N
N
N
N
N
N
|
.
|
\
|
+
+
|
.
|
\
|
+
|
.
|
\
|
|
.
|
\
|
|
.
|
\
|
=
2
1
1
.......
2
3
1
2 1
) (


P
i N
i N
i N
i N
N
N
N
N
N
N
|
|
.
|
\
|
|
.
|
\
|
+
+
|
.
|
\
|
+
+
|
.
|
\
|
|
.
|
\
|
|
.
|
\
|
=
2
1
3
2
.......
2
3
1
2 1
) (

This simplifies to:

P
N
i N
i below floor any at stop not will elevator P |
.
|
\
| +
=
1
) (

The term above is the probability that the elevator will not stop at any floor lower than
the ith floor. In effect it is also that probability that any of the floors above the ith floor
could be the lowest call express.
In a similar manner, the probability that the lift will not stop at a floor below the
i+1th floor can be calculated as shown below:

P
N
i N
|
.
|
\
|
= + ) 1 (

Design


The term above is the probability that the elevator will not stop at any floor lower than
the i+1th floor. In effect it is also that probability that any of the floors above the i+1th
floor could be the lowest call express.
Subtracting the two expressions from each other, gives the probability that the
ith floor is the lowest floor express (i.e., is on average the floor at which the elevator
makes the first stop when travelling in the up direction on a round trip journey). The
probability that the i
th
floor is the lowest floor express is the probability that the lift
does not stop below the i
th
floor minus the probability that the lift does not stop below
the (i+1)
th
floor. Thus:

P P
N
i N
N
i N
P |
.
|
\
|
|
.
|
\
| +
=
1
) express call lowest the is i floor (

But any of the floors from 1 to N could be the lowest call express. The expected
value of the lowest call express is the weighted sum of all the possible lowest call
express floors (i.e., 1 to N) each multiplied by their respective probabilities:

=
|
|
.
|
\
|
|
|
.
|
\
|
|
.
|
\
|
|
.
|
\
| +
=
=
N
i
P P
N
i N
N
i N
i LCE E
value ected
1
1
) (
) express call lowest ( exp

Re-arranging the two terms will make it easier to simplify later on:

=
|
|
.
|
\
|
|
|
.
|
\
|
|
.
|
\
|
+ |
.
|
\
| +
=
N
i
P P
N
i N
N
i N
i LCE E
1
1
) (

Expanding gives:

( ) ( )
=
|
.
|
\
|
+ =
|
.
|
\
|
+
|
.
|
\
|
|
.
|
\
|
+
|
.
|
\
|
+
|
.
|
\
|
+
=
|
|
.
|
\
|
|
.
|
\
|
+ |
.
|
\
|
+
|
|
.
|
\
|
|
.
|
\
|
|
.
|
\
|

|
|
.
|
\
|
|
.
|
\
|
|
.
|
\
|
+
|
|
.
|
\
|
+
|
.
|
\
|
|
.
|
\
|
+
|
|
.
|
\
|
|
.
|
\
|
|
.
|
\
|
=
1
1
1
0 1
.......
3 2 1
1
0 1 1 2
1
...
3 2
3
2 1
2
1
1 ) (
N
i
P
P P P P P
P P P P
P P P P P P
N
i
LCE
N N N
N
N
N
N
N
N N
N
N N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
LCE E

Simplifying gives:

P P P P P
N N N
N
N
N
N
N
LCE |
.
|
\
|
+ |
.
|
\
|
|
.
|
\
|
+ |
.
|
\
|
+ |
.
|
\
|
+ =
0 1
.......
3 2 1
1

Design


This can be rearranged as:

( )

=
|
.
|
\
|
+ =
1
1
1
N
i
P
N
i
LCE E

Note that the summation extends only to N-1 (i.e., not N). Also note that the
minimum possible value of LCE is 1, which is to be expected at high values of P.
Comparing the equation for H and the equation for LCE we can see that the
same summation term exists in both. The difference between N and H is the same
difference between LCE and 1 (symmetrical values between 1 and N). The addition
of H and LCE always results in the value of N+1.

1 + = + N LCE H

15. Assumptions in deriving the basis round trip time equation
When deriving the basic equation for the round trip time, the following assumptions
have been made:

1. Equal floor populations in the derivation of H and S.
2. Passenger choices of floors are independent of each other (this affects the
derivation of H and S).
3. Constant passenger arrival rate. It is assumed that the arrival process of
passengers is not random and that passengers arrive in a uniform manner
with equal time spacing between them. In reality passengers arrive randomly
in a process that is best represented by a Poisson arrival process.
4. An important assumption made in the derivation f the round trip time equation
is that the top speed is attained in one floor journey. This is not correct in
many cases where the speed is above 2.5 ms
-1
.
5. It has been assumed that only one passenger is boarding or alighting at the
same time.
6. The only type of traffic present is the incoming traffic (up peak traffic).
7. Equal floor heights have been assumed.
8. It has been assumed that the doors starts closing immediately after the last
passenger has boarded or alighted. In reality there will be delay depending on
the timer controlling the door operation, and depending on whether other
passengers use the door close button.
9. It has been assumed that passengers enter the building from one single
entrance. In reality many buildings have underground car parks or different
level street entrances.
10. No door re-openings have been assumed.
11. It has been assumed that all lifts in the same group serve all floors and that
any passenger regardless of his/her destination can board any available lift.

16. Solved Design Exercise
The parameters for an office building are shown below.

Assume the following parameters:
a. Passenger arrival rate is 15%.
b. Number of floors above ground is 14 floors.
Design


c. Car capacity is 21 person (1600 kg).
d. Floor height is 4.5 m (finished floor level to finished floor level).
e. Three basement floors, B1, B2, B3 used as car parks.
f. Basement floor height is 4.5 m.
g. Top speed, v, is 1.6 ms
-1
.
h. Top acceleration, a, is 1 ms
-2
.
i. Top jerk, j, is 1 ms
-3
.
j. Passenger transfer time out of the car is 1.2 s.
k. Passenger transfer time into the car is 1.2 s.
l. Door opening time is 2 s.
m. Door closing time is 3 s.
n. Advanced door opening is 0.5 s.
o. Start delay is 1 s.
p. Total building population of 1100 persons.
q. Equal floor populations.

Find the number of lifts required assuming no arrivals from the basement.
Find the actual interval and the actual handling capacity.

Solution
The equation for the round trip time (t ) can be written as follows:

( ) ( )
|
|
.
|
\
|
+ + +
|
|
.
|
\
|
+ + + + +
|
|
.
|
\
|
=
v
d d
t t P t t t t
v
d
t S
v
d
H
f G
po pi ao sd dc do
f
f
f
2 1 2 t

Where:
t is the round trip time in s
H is the highest reversal floor (where floors are numbered 0, 1, 2.N
S is the probably number of stops
d
f
is the typical height of one floor in m
v is the top rated speed in m/s
t
f
is the time taken to complete a one floor journey in s assuming that the lift attains
the top speed v
P is the number of passengers in the car when it leaves the ground floor (does not
have to be an integer for this calculation, but is used as an integer for the
purposes of calculating H and S)
d
G
is the height of the ground in m where more than the typical floor height
t
do
is the door opening time in s
t
dc
is the door closing time in s
t
sd
is the motor start delay in s
t
ao
is the door advance opening time in s (where the door starts opening before the
car comes to a complete standstill)
t
pi
is the passenger boarding time in s
t
po
is the passenger alighting time in s

We need to check that the lift will attain top speed in a one floor journey.
We use the following equation as a check:

Design


16 . 4
1
1 6 . 1 6 . 1 1
aj
j v v a
5 . 4 d
2 2 2
=
|
|
.
|
\
| +
=
|
|
.
|
\
| +
> =

So the top speed of 1.6 m/s will be attained in a one floor jump. In this case, the time
taken to complete a one floor journey, t
f
will be:

s 4 . 5
1
1
1
6 . 1
6 . 1
5 . 4
j
a
a
v
v
d
t
f
= + + = + + =

We first start by finding the value of P based on 80% car loading. P works out as
16.8 passengers.
Moving on to calculate H and S as follows:

10
14
1
1 1 14
N
1
1 1 N S
8 . 16 P
=
|
|
.
|
\
|
|
.
|
\
|
=
|
|
.
|
\
|
|
.
|
\
|
=

62 . 13 ...... 0174 . 0 075 . 0 288 . 0 14
14
i
14
N
i
N H
13
1 i
8 . 16
1 N
1 i
P
= =
|
.
|
\
|
=
|
.
|
\
|
=

=
=

Substituting in the RTT equation gives:

( ) ( )
( ) ( )
s
v
d d
t t P t t t t
v
d
t S
v
d
H
f G
po pi ao sd dc do
f
f
f
82 . 205 3 . 40 89 5 . 76
6 . 1
5 . 4 5 . 4
2 2 . 1 2 . 1 8 . 16 5 . 0 1 3 2
6 . 1
5 . 4
4 . 5 1 10
6 . 1
5 . 4
6 . 13 2
2 1 2
= + + =
|
.
|
\
|
+ + +
|
.
|
\
|
+ + + + +
|
.
|
\
|
=
|
|
.
|
\
|
+ + +
|
|
.
|
\
|
+ + + + +
|
|
.
|
\
|
= t

In order to meet the expected arrival rate of 15%, the number of lifts required can be
calculated as follows:

738 . 6
8 . 16 300
82 . 205 1100 15 . 0
300
%
300
%
=

=

=
P
U HC
L
U
P L
HC
t
t

So the nearest larger integer is 7 lifts. So seven lifts are required to achieve the
handling capacity that meets the expected arrival rate.

In practice the handling capacity achieved will be:

% 6 . 15
1100 82 . 205
8 . 16 7 300 300
% =

=
U
P L
HC
t

which is more than the expected arrival rate of 15%.

Design


The achieved interval will be:

s
L
int 4 . 29
7
82 . 205
= = =
t

which is less than the 30 s limit specified for offices.

Problems
For each of the following cases, design a suitable VT system, by finding the suitable
number of elevators and their speed, as well as the actual car loading.

Try to find the most economical solution by looking for the minimum number of
elevators that meets the requirements.
Assume equal floor population and equal floor heights.
In using the round trip time equation ignore the fact that the top speed has not been
attained.
Select the speed v by dividing the total travel distance and then rounding down to the
nearest preferred speed (1, 1.6, 2, 2.5, 3.15, 4, 5, 6.3, 8, 10 ms
-1
).

Find:
L, v, P
act
, int
act
and HC%
Also calculate the actual car loading. Actual car loading = (P
act
/CC)%

Assume that the door opening time is 2 s
Assume that the door closing time is 3 s
Assume that the start delay is 1 s
Assume that the advance door opening is 0.5 s.
Assume that the passenger transfer time is 1.2 s
Assume that the acceleration, a, = 1 ms
-2

Assume that the jerk, j, = 1.5 ms
-3

1. Office Building: An office building has the following parameters.
N= 20 floors above the main terminal.
AR%= 12%
Target interval, int
tar
of 30 s
Car capacity, CC, of 26 persons
Floor height, d
f
, = 4.5 m
Total population, U is 1600 persons

Assume one single main entrance.

AR%= 10%
tar
of 25 s
Floor height, d
f
, = 4.5 m

Solve for the following two cases:
Design


a) Single entrance without any basements.
b) One main entrance and three car park basements, each basement with an arrival
percentage of 6% for each.

AR%= 15%
tar
of 30 s
Floor height, d
f
, = 4.5 m


4. Residential Building: An office building has the following parameters.
AR%= 7%
tar
of 50 s
Floor height, d
f
, = 3.2 m


References
1. Basset Jones The probable number of stops made by an elevator GE Review
26(8) 583-587 (1923)
Design


Appendix A
The Round Trip Time Equation for the Case of Unequal Floor Heights

In the case where the floor heights are unequal, this will have an effect on the
calculation of the round trip time equation. The equation for the round trip time can
be amended as follows in order to account for this case as follows.
The effect of the unequal floor heights can be taken into consideration by
assuming an effective floor height d
f eff
that can be inserted into the original round trip
time equation.
The effective floor height d
f eff
is the expected value fo the floor height. The
effective floor height is the weighted average of all the floor heights multiplied by the
probability of the elevator passing through that floor. In order for the elevator to pass
through a floor it should travel to any of the floors above that floor. Thus it is
necessary to find the probability of the elevator travelling above a certain floor, i.
The probability of the elevator not stopping at a certain floor, assuming equal
floor populations is the probability that passenger j will stop at a floor i:

|
.
|
\
|
=
N
1
(1)


|
.
|
\
|
=
N
1
(2)


P
N
1
|
.
|
\
|
= (3)

The probability that the lift will not travel any higher than a floor i is the probability that
it will not stop on floor i+1 or i+2 or i+3 all the way to floor N. This is expressed as
the product of these individual probabilities:

P P P P P
1 i
1
1
2 i
1
1 .......
2 N
1
1
1 N
1
1
N
1
1
|
.
|
\
|
+

|
.
|
\
|
+
|
.
|
\
|

|
.
|
\
|

|
.
|
\
|

=

(4)


P P P P P
1 i
i
2 i
1 i
.......
2 N
3 N
1 N
2 N
N
1 N
|
.
|
\
|
+
|
.
|
\
|
+
+
|
.
|
\
|
|
.
|
\
|
|
.
|
\
|
=

(5)

Design



P
1 i
i
2 i
1 i
.......
2 N
3 N
1 N
2 N
N
1 N
|
|
.
|
\
|
|
.
|
\
|
+
|
.
|
\
|
+
+
|
.
|
\
|
|
.
|
\
|
|
.
|
\
|
=

(6)

This simplifies to:

P
N
i
|
.
|
\
|
= (7)

Thus the probability that the lift will travel above the floor i is:

P
N
i
i floor above travel will lift P |
.
|
\
|
=1 ) ( (8)

Thus the expected value of the travel distance can be calculated as the weighted
average of the various floor height as follows:

( ) ( ) ( )
( ) ( )
|
|
.
|
\
|
|
.
|
\
|
+
|
|
.
|
\
|
|
.
|
\
|
+
+
|
|
.
|
\
|
|
.
|
\
|
+
|
|
.
|
\
|
|
.
|
\
|
=
P
f
P
f
P
f
P
f total
N
N
N d
N
N
N d
N
d
N
d d E
1
1
1 1
...
2
1 2
1
1 1

(9)

Where:
E(d
total
) is the expected value of the distance travelled in the up direction.

The last term above reduces to zero (as it is impossible for the elevator to pass
through floor N). The expected floor height is obtained by dividing the expected tota
travel distance by the highest reversal floor, H. So the equation for the effective floor
height can be expressed as shown below (assuming equal floor populations):

( )
( )
H
N
i
i d
d E
N
i
P
f
f
=
|
|
.
|
\
|
|
.
|
\
|

=
1
1
1
(10)

Where:

( ) i d
f
is the floor height for floor i
( )
f
d E is the expected value of the floor heights (effective floor height)
H is the highest reversal floor
N is the number of floors above the main terminal
P is the number of passengers boarding the car from the main terminal
Design


Appendix B
Proof of the time for a one floor journey assuming that the top speed has been
attained

Assume the journey is split into 6 parts: d
1
, d
2
, d
3
, d
4
, d
5
, d
6
and d
7
. Also assume the
time duration for each part is t
1
, t
2
, t
3
, t
4
, t
5
, t
6
and t
7
respectively. The total distance
of the journey is d,the top speed is v, the top acceleration is a and the jerk is constant
at a value of j.

Note from symmetry the following equations apply:

7 5 3 1
t t t t = = =
And:

6 2
t t =

The distances are also equal as follows:

7 1
d d =
5 3
d d =
6 2
d d =

At the end of the time t
1
, the acceleration would have attained its top value. Hence:

j
a
t =
1

The speed at the time t
1
is:
Design


( )
j
a
t j t v
= =
2 2
1
2
2
1 1

The speed at the time t
1
+t
2
is:

( )
j
a
v t t v
= +
2
2
2 1

The distance covered at time t
1
is:

2
3
0
2
1
6 2
1
1
j
a
dt t j d
t
=
|
|
.
|
\
|
|
.
|
\
|
=
}

The distance d
3
is equal to the area of a rectangle less the area d
1
(from symmetry).

( )
|
|
.
|
\
|
|
|
.
|
\
|
=
=
2
3
2
3
1 3
6 6 j
a
j
a v
j
a
t v d

The time t
2
can be calculated as follows:

j
a
a
v
a
j
a
j
a
v
t =
|
|
.
|
\
|
|
|
.
|
\
|
|
|
.
|
\
|
=
2 2
2 2
2

The area d
2
is the area of a trapezoid, calculated as follows:

|
|
.
|
\
|
=
|
|
.
|
\
|
|
.
|
\
|
=
|
|
|
|
|
.
|
\
|
|
|
.
|
\
|
|
|
.
|
\
|
+
|
|
.
|
\
|
=
j
a v
a
v
j
a
a
v v
t
j
a
j
a
v
d
2 2 2 2
2 2
2
2
2 2
2

The total distance d
1
+d
2
+d
3
+d
5
+d
6
+d
7
can be calculated as follows:

a
v
j
a v
j
a v
a
v
j
a v
d d d d d d
2 2
7 6 5 3 2 1
2 2
2 +
=
|
|
.
|
\
|
|
|
.
|
\
|
= + + + + +

( )
a
v
j
a v
d d d d d d d d d
2
7 6 5 3 2 1 4

= + + + + + =

Design


j
a
a
v
v
d
v
a
v
j
a v
d
t =
|
|
.
|
\
|
=
2
4

|
|
.
|
\
|
+ + =
|
|
.
|
\
|
+
|
|
.
|
\
|
+
|
|
.
|
\
|
= + + =
j
a
a
v
v
d
j
a
a
v
v
d
j
a
a
v
j
a
t t t t 2 4 2 4
4 2 1

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