The permanent and emergency lighting system inside the elevator car, comprising normal illumination for passenger comfort and a battery-backed emergency light required by EN 81-20 to operate for at least one hour on mains failure.
Full Definition
Elevator car lighting comprises two independent circuits: (1) Normal lighting — permanently energised from the building supply via the travelling cable; EN 81-20 requires a minimum illuminance of 50 lux at floor level with the car doors closed; modern installations use LED strips or panels for energy efficiency and long lamp life; (2) Emergency lighting — EN 81-20 requires an automatically activated emergency light source that provides a minimum of 1 lux for at least 1 hour when the normal supply fails; typically a self-contained LED unit with a rechargeable battery housed within the car ceiling. The emergency light must activate automatically within 5 seconds of normal supply failure. Alarm button luminescence — the alarm call button must be illuminated so it is visible in the dark. A ventilation fan is often combined with the lighting circuit on the same switch. In fire-rated car enclosures, light fitting penetrations must not compromise the fire rating of the wall panels. EN 81-70 accessible lifts require that lighting controls and the illuminated alarm button be at a height of 0.90–1.20 m for wheelchair user accessibility.
