Lift communication hub for the 21st century

Cedes and relayr teamed up with 2N – an international provider of IP access control systems, creator of video door intercoms, smart readers and lift solutions.

The goal of Cedes and relayr is to add an emergency call function to their latest IoT offering. The resulting product, cegard/Smart ECom, serves as an IoT gateway and communication hub. The combination of the IoT-enabling light curtain cegard/Smart, the EComgard, and relayr`s IoT platform Skyler Elevate offers a complete solution for IoT and multimedia emergency communications.

The EComgard combines the functions of an LTE router, a backup power supply, a converter (2-wire to IP) and a switch all in one unit. It is installed in the machine room or the top of the shaft (MRL) and connected through the lift controller and to an IP phone in the cabin, as well as to the cegard/Smart door safeguarding system controller on the cabin roof via two wires in the travelling cable.

This ensures flawless communication between the machine room and the cabin and allows the collection of relevant door and lift performance data. The VoIP solution serves as a POTS line replacement – only one SIM card is needed for making voice and data communication with the gateway, the controller, and the emergency dialer. An additional connectivity option through the building`s LAN is also available.

Multimedia emergency communications

Jason Godwin (2N), Pavel Kotek (2N) and Patrick Bass (Cedes) (from left to right). Photo: © Cedes

In addition to the door safeguarding system, the cegard/Smart controller allows you to connect three IP devices in the lift cabin, such as a camera, an IP dialer for audio, and a screen for text messages, enabling multimedia emergency communications to cater for the needs of people with disabilities. This solution fulfills the requirements prescribed by the U.S. Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators (ASME A17.1-2019).

The same standard requires reliable detection of people not only between the lift doors (2D door safeguarding with a light curtain), but also approaching the lift. This can be fulfilled by complementing the system with CabSafe, the well-known Cedes 3D ToF sensor for entrance area monitoring.

Enhanced passenger safety is the most important, yet not the only aspect of the proposed solution, emphasizes Cedes. The connectivity hub in the lift cabin will provide opportunities for improvement in service operations efficiency and allow connection of other relevant equipment on the cabin for additional data collection and evaluation in order to provide benefits for independent service providers and building managers.

From the lift to the cloud

Photo: © Cedes

By connecting the gateway to a cloud platform, all of the installed devices can be managed and monitored remotely. From the emergency dialer, data is transferred to the Elevator Center and a VoIP emergency call centre, and from the cegard/Smart light curtains to the Skyler Elevate IoT platform. The latter enables deep performance-based analysis of door behavior, where most callbacks occur, as well as people flow analysis for better lift traffic management.

In welcoming the partnership with Cedes, 2N’s CEO Michal Kratochvíl remarked: "Integration partnerships are a major driver for the success of 2N products and teaming up with industry leaders like Cedes and relayr opens up important IoT opportunities that allow us to better leverage the advanced capabilities of 2N’s lift communication gateways."

Patrick Bass, the CEO of Cedes, added: "Passenger safety and comfort is taken to the next level by providing the door and lift performance data into the emergency communication call. The emergency team will know immediately what is happening with the lift. This is the true definition of a fully integrated communication hub for data and voice."

More information: cedes.com
2n.com