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Bus technology reduces wiring time in elevators
These years, the elevator industry is in the process of completely changing the
wiring concept in elevators. Conventional parallel wiring with its bundle of wires for
connecting the elevator controller to pushbuttons, lamps, position indicators, gongs,
etc. is replaced by serial bus communication, where all signals as well as power
supply are transmitted on the same 3 or 4 wires. According to the number of floors,
this simplification of the wiring makes it possible to reduce the wiring time by as
much as 80-90% - an important reason why the bus technology is progressing
rapidly and in a few years can be expected to be standard equipment in most new
elevators.
This trend already started back in the late eighties, when OTIS was the first
company to develop a bus system which was used in large buildings. Kone, Schindler
and other elevator companies followed later with CAN- and LON-based solutions.
These bus systems have, however, turned out to be overkill, both with regard to
complexity and cost, particularly in the case of small elevators. Most signals in an
elevator are simple pushbuttons and lamps distributed on many fixtures, which
means that what is needed is a bus system adequate to transmit simple signals and
with low costs per node. The solution is the Dupline 3-wire elevator bus system by
Carlo Gavazzi.
Space- and cost saving I/O-boards with 2 inputs and 2 outputs are mounted in each
floor fixture and connected to the pushbuttons and lamps. In the elevator car,
where the number of signals is higher, boards with 4 inputs / 4 outputs, 8 inputs or
8 outputs are used. Mounting the I/O-boards into the fixtures, assigning addresses
to them and wiring them to the pushbuttons and lamps can be done at the factory,
where the labour cost is lower than on-site. After that, the wiring on-site is simply a
question of dropping a 3-wire cable from top to bottom and connecting it to the
I/O-boards at the floors and in the car. It is fast, and the risk of wiring mistakes is
low. The 3-wire cable provides each I/O-board with 24 VDC power supply and
bi-directional communication to the elevator controller.
At present, Dupline is used in more than 1500 new elevators each year and the
number is growing continuously. There is a very positive feedback from the users,
who all appreciate the simplicity, reliability and cost-effectiveness of Dupline.
These years, the elevator industry is in the process of completely changing the
wiring concept in elevators. Conventional parallel wiring with its bundle of wires for
connecting the elevator controller to pushbuttons, lamps, position indicators, gongs,
etc. is replaced by serial bus communication, where all signals as well as power
supply are transmitted on the same 3 or 4 wires. According to the number of floors,
this simplification of the wiring makes it possible to reduce the wiring time by as
much as 80-90% - an important reason why the bus technology is progressing
rapidly and in a few years can be expected to be standard equipment in most new
elevators.
This trend already started back in the late eighties, when OTIS was the first
company to develop a bus system which was used in large buildings. Kone, Schindler
and other elevator companies followed later with CAN- and LON-based solutions.
These bus systems have, however, turned out to be overkill, both with regard to
complexity and cost, particularly in the case of small elevators. Most signals in an
elevator are simple pushbuttons and lamps distributed on many fixtures, which
means that what is needed is a bus system adequate to transmit simple signals and
with low costs per node. The solution is the Dupline 3-wire elevator bus system by
Carlo Gavazzi.
Space- and cost saving I/O-boards with 2 inputs and 2 outputs are mounted in each
floor fixture and connected to the pushbuttons and lamps. In the elevator car,
where the number of signals is higher, boards with 4 inputs / 4 outputs, 8 inputs or
8 outputs are used. Mounting the I/O-boards into the fixtures, assigning addresses
to them and wiring them to the pushbuttons and lamps can be done at the factory,
where the labour cost is lower than on-site. After that, the wiring on-site is simply a
question of dropping a 3-wire cable from top to bottom and connecting it to the
I/O-boards at the floors and in the car. It is fast, and the risk of wiring mistakes is
low. The 3-wire cable provides each I/O-board with 24 VDC power supply and
bi-directional communication to the elevator controller.
At present, Dupline is used in more than 1500 new elevators each year and the
number is growing continuously. There is a very positive feedback from the users,
who all appreciate the simplicity, reliability and cost-effectiveness of Dupline.
