Elevator Control - NXT-MSC Using GIOX Modules

1.0 Introduction

Doors.NET supports Elevator Control when using NXT Mercury Powered controllers and NXT 4x4 modules or GIOX units. For many different sized elevator applications this can be an extremely cost-effective solution.

Note: The NXT GIOX module is now an obsolete product but Doors.NET will still support GIOX modules which are already installed.

Using GIOX modules you can control up to 128 floors using either 2 or 4 door controllers. You can use a maximum of two GIOX modules per controller, so if they are both fully populated with 8 outputs cards each GIOX can provide control for 64 floors, giving you a maximum total of 128 floors.

One reader is situated in the elevator cab and this one reader is responsible for all access requests to all the floors. This section describes the process for configuring elevator control for up to 20 floors. It is important to follow these steps in the correct order to ensure proper operation of your elevator control system.

2.0 2-Door Controller with One GIOX Unit

For a 2-door controller handling up to 34 floors:

• The Output is the Door Relay for each floor.
• There are two functioning options for Elevator Control: 'No Floor Select' and 'With Floor Select'.

2.1 No Floor Select Hardware Configuration

Just uses output modules. When someone presents their card the floor select buttons will illuminate for the floors to which the cardholder has access.

With this option the GIOX only uses output modules - The illustration below shows output cards on GIOX ports 1-4. Including the relays on the 2 door controllers this will provide up to 34 floors of control. If the GIOX had 8 output cards it would provide control for up to 66 floors with a 2-door controller and 68 floors with a 4-door controller.

2.2 With Floor Select Hardware Configuration

Uses input modules and output modules and requires 2 x GIOX units (one wired into bus 1 of the controller and the other wired into bus 2). The GIOX on bus 1 will have only   output modules and the GIOX on bus 2 will have only input modules. This option provides transaction details about which particular floor the cardholder has selected to go to after presenting their card.

The following diagram shows the multiple GIOX modules which are required for this option. The GIOX on bus 1 has four output cards and the GIOX on bus 2 has four input cards. Again this allows up to 34 floors to be controlled. If the GIOX modules were fully populated with input and output cards it would support up to 66 floors on a 2-door controller and a maximum of 68 floors on a 4-door controller.

3.0 Setup Procedure

3.1 Verify your License Settings

1. Begin by ensuring your Doors.NET Application Server license is configured with Elevator Control enabled. To check this, click on Start > All Programs > Doors.Net > License Manager. If it states False instead of True then you need to contact Keri Systems sales department to purchase an upgrade to your license.

Controller Configuration Warning

NOTE: Once a controller has been configured for elevator control, it cannot be simply reconfigured to be a standard controller.
You must perform the following steps:

• delete the elevator facility setting from the controller
• delete the controller from the database
• RAM reset the controller
• scan the system to rediscover the controller
• add it back to the database

Please be 100% sure you have selected the correct controller to use before configuring it for elevator control.

3.2 Hardware Configuration

1. Log into your Doors.NET client.
2. Go to the Setup >> Hardware Setup >> All tab. The hardware tree displays the hardware gateway and any Mercury Powered NXT controllers. The image below shows one NXT 4-door controller is added.

3. At the bottom of the hardware tree is a node labeled ‘Facilities.’ A Facility needs to be defined and this is where you specify how many floors will be controlled. Generally a facility, in the physical sense, is an elevator shaft.
4. Click on Facilities and then click the Add Facility button on the ribbon bar.

5. Click New Facility and view the facility properties on the right.

6. Change the description to something appropriate to your site.
7. The new facility defaults to having 2 floors. Change this count by overwriting it with the number of floors desired, in this case 20. The ‘Floor List’ automatically adjusts accordingly. At this time you may also name each of the floors by clicking on the drop down arrow then double-clicking any of the floor names listed.

8. Next step is to configure the controller. Advanced View must be enabled to see all the relevant sections. Click on the desired controller in the Hardware tree and view its properties.

9. In the controller properties General section you will see that the Controller Function is set to Normal. Double-click in this cell and change the selection to ‘Elevator Control’. An alert appears asking you to confirm the change. Click Yes and the function is then set. Click Save.

10. Further down the properties list is the Elevator Control settings. Select the 20-floor Facility and then create the floor map by selecting how many floors will be serviced by the controller. In most circumstances the controller will be servicing all the floors.

11. Save these settings. The floor count is automatically set and the software generates an alert stating the controller needs to be reset. Click Yes to allow the reset.
    
    
    
    
12. Verify the outputs on the controller are configured correctly by expanding one of the buses then expanding the Outputs. Select an output and in its properties you should see it configured as an ‘Elevator Output.’ The associated reader should be the reader wired into bus 1.

13. Next is adding the GIOX unit(s); these should already be wired into each of the RS-485 buses of the NXT controller.

14. Highlight each of the buses from within the hardware tree and click 'Add GIOX-MSC.' The controller should start polling the GIOX immediately and they will appear beneath the reader(s) as shown below. The input/output configuration of the GIOX unit will be detected and displayed within a confirmation box detailing how many input or output cards are connected.

3.3 Adding the GIOX Module

4.0 No Floor Select

The With Floor select option only uses output/relay cards on the GIOX. When a cardholder presents their card the relays that activate will be the floors that the cardholder has access to. These outputs/relays are generally wired to the floor select buttons in the lift car. The will usually illuminate then the cardholder presses the button that corresponds with the floor they wish to go to.

• When adding the GIOX module always connect it to bus number 1 at the controller.
• When adding the output cards to the GIOX start with GIOX bus number 1.
• If you will only be controlling 36 floors, for example, then connect the output/relay cards onto the GIOX at busses 1 - 4.
• Check the GIOX outputs are configured correctly by highlighting one of the outputs listed on the GIOX. The output properties should show them as set to ‘Elevator Output.’

• Now highlight the reader located on bus 1. Reference the properties and look for the Primary/Secondary (In/Out) settings. The reader will be automatically set to ‘Elevator, No Floor Select’ or you can change it to ‘Elevator, With Floor Select.’

5.0 With Floor Select

Following a valid card read, the floor relays do not automatically activate until a floor select button has been pressed. The floor select buttons are wired into input cards connected to a GIOX and when the input activates it then automatically activates the corresponding output on a different GIOX. Input for floor 1 will automatically activate the output for floor 1, the input for floor 2 will automatically activate the output for floor 2, and so on - This mapping is configured automatically when you enable Elevator Control and assign a facility. The automatic input and output mapping is for up to 66 floors when using a 2-door controller and up to 68 floors when using a 4-door controller.

Note: Using this method of Elevator Control requires the use of at least 2 x GIOX modules and then should be wired into the NXT-MSC controller as follows:

• The GIOX module wired into controller bus 1 must be all output cards (up to 8 output cards per GIOX).
• The GIOX module wired into controller bus 2 must be all input cards (up to 8 input cards per GIOX).
• If you require more than 68 floors then another GIOX will need to be added to bus 3 (outputs cards) and a fourth GIOX will need to be added to bus 4 (input cards) - This will give you a maximum of 132 floors being controlled by 1 x MSC-NXT 4-door controller and 4 x GIOX modules.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• If a 3rd and 4th GIOX module are used (for more than 68 floors) you will need to link the outputs and inputs by highlighting the GIOX modules on busses 1 and 3 ... (It is best to individually name each of the GIOX modules once you have added them in order to make this step much easier and trouble-free).
• Highlight GIOX on bus 1
• Make sure Advanced View is enabled.
• Locate the Elevator Control section and choose to Continue Outputs On the GIOX connected to bus 3.
• Continue Inputs On will be set to the GIOX connected to bus 2.
  
  

• The highlight the GIOX wired into bus 3 and in the properties set Continue Inputs on GIOX number 4.

• At this point highlight one of the inputs located on the GIOX on bus 2 for example, and check it is displaying as shown below.
  
  
  
  
• Also check that the outputs on the GIOX are displaying correctly as well.
  
  
  
  
  

• The reader on bus 1 is designated as the elevator reader, the other readers on the controller are removed from the hardware tree.

Note: As the readers on buses 2,3 and 4 are removed. It is impossible to use the controller for other standard access control functionality once it has been converted for Elevator Control.

6.0 Checking the Floor Relay Functionality

• Verify the reader and the outputs are correctly linked. Right-click the elevator cab reader on bus 1, select temp unlock, and then click the Unlock button while ‘All Floors’ is highlighted.

20. All the configured Elevator Outputs, including those on the controller should activate.

Note: The input and output cards for the GIOX are only detected when the GIOX is powered up. Therefore if you attach an output card AFTER powering up the GIOX you will not be able to command the relays because the GIOX does not know the output board(s) is present.

ALWAYS ensure the input or output cards are connected to the GIOX prior to powering it up.