Lift by Wire - LiftReport 2/2002

Source: LiftReport 1/2002 by Jörg Hellmich (BÖHNKE + PARTNER GmbH Steuerungssysteme, now c/o elfin.de)

The Interlift fair in Augsburg showed us once again that the trend in the lift industry is moving towards networking components by using standard Bus systems. So, most of today’s firms offer their component parts with a CAN or LON connection.

Parallel to hardware interface compatibility there were first talks at the fair about standardising protocols on the CAN Bus basis to enable the interconnection of components from various manufacturers to make up a complete lift system. In the meantime a group of component manufacturers have declared themselves willing to take up this task under the patronage of the CIA (Can in Automation) organisation. It is their goal is to generate a profile for the lift industry based on CANopen which is to enable Plug- and- Play facilities for the various manufacturer’s components as well as uniform diagnosis systems. The future still sees implementation of the failsafe system CANopen Safety, whereby all limit switches in the shaft and the complete safety circuit, in it’s present form, could become superfluous. It would then be feasible that, for the first time since Mr. Otis introduced the catching facility, this would no longer be triggered mechanically but electrically; i.e. when the encoder or converter determines the cabin is moving too fast.

What is ”Drive by Wire” to the automotive industry will become Lift by Wire in the lift industry!