18 / 24
18 | PEOPLE FLOW
Whether in a multi-purpose skyscraper or an ordinary block of apartments,
KONE’s destination control systems make elevator travel easy and fast.
The latest solution, KONE Polaris™ 500 supplements KONE’s offering in this field.
TRAVELING LITE
“DESTINATION CONTROL ALLOWS
MORE EFFICIENT UTILIZATION
OF ELEVATOR CAPACITY.”
TEXT
SATU JUSSILA
PHOTO
JUHA SALMINEN
T
o get people in and out of
elevators as quickly as pos-
sible, an elevator control
system must rapidly process
the data sent by passengers
to call the elevator. Usually, the system
is not informed where a passenger
wishes to go until he or she has entered
the elevator car. As a result, travel times
are longer.
With the KONE Polaris Destination
Control System (DCS), elevator users
input their destination already in the
lobby of the starting floor.
“Destination control gives the system
the chance to make smart decisions that
allow more efficient utilization of eleva-
tor capacity,” explains
Harri Länsiö
,
KONE’s Assistant Vice President, Sales
and Offering Management.
SHORTER TRAVEL TIMES
DCS has been around since the 1990s
for mid- and high-rise buildings. The
new KONE Polaris 500 solution offers a
user interface option for smaller elevator
groups. It also offers a new design out-
look for the signalizations.
“Polaris 500 is available for buildings
that have up to sixteen floors and up to
a four-car group. It’s an excellent prod-
uct for small buildings, such as offices or
high-end residential apartments.
“The new signalization family uses
materials that make the design look
modern. But the real key with this
product is the opportunity it provides
to get DCS speed and efficiency in even
smaller buildings,” says Länsiö.
INCREASING THE EFFICIENCY
Polaris 500 is available in hybrid and
traditional DCS configuration.
“In the Hybrid DCS, the destination
operating panels are located only on the
main floors. Other floors have a conven-
tional up/down landing signalization. The
inside of the elevator cars have the con-
ventional car operating panel with num-
bers that can indicate served floors, just
like you see in any elevator,” says Länsiö.
“With the hybrid system, passengers
that miss their car can still enter the
destination floor inside the elevator. This
leads to a positive user experience and
avoids confusion.”
Länsiö explains that the Hybrid DCS
configuration is particularly useful for
improving traffic flow leaving from
heavily used floors, such as the lobby of
the main floor.
“It’s beneficial in buildings with lots
of traffic and heavy up-peaks. It also
provides excellent performance in floor-
to-floor traffic.”
By contrast, in the traditional method
all floors have a destination call device.
In this system, users enter their floors
at the landing area.
“These are ideal, for example, in
multi-tenant buildings that want the
best service for all traffic conditions –
the morning up-peak, lunch rush
and the down-peak.”
A BETTER WAY TO RIDE
According to Länsiö, both methods
have their own advantages. Choosing
the right DCS configuration depends on
what’s needed.
“Traditional DCS provides full effi-
ciency with less-crowded elevator cars.