What the Escalator Object Is
The Escalator object, defined in Clause 12.60 of ANSI/ASHRAE 135-2024, is how a BACnet device represents an escalator or moving walk: its direction of operation, running mode, energy use, and faults. It exposes the externally visible condition of the unit to a building management system without controlling the escalator’s internal logic.
Like the Lift object, an Escalator belongs to an Elevator Group identified through Elevator_Group, Group_ID, and Installation_ID. Escalator objects that support intrinsic reporting apply the CHANGE_OF_STATE event algorithm on the Passenger_Alarm property, alarming when a passenger alarm becomes active, and deliver it through the event notification services.
Where You’ll See It
- Escalator monitoring. A supervisory controller carrying the B-EC Elevator Controller profile exposes each escalator as an Escalator object so a BMS can display direction and running mode.
- Fault and alarm reporting.
Fault_Signalslists active escalator faults andPassenger_Alarmraises the alarm to the building’s alarm system. - Energy tracking. With
Energy_MeterandEnergy_Meter_Ref, the escalator’s drive energy can be trended alongside other building loads.
Required Properties
Clause 12.60 requires every Escalator object to provide these properties. Datatypes are the spec’s names: Unsigned is an integer, BOOLEAN a true/false flag, and the BACnet-prefixed types are structured values defined by the standard.
| Property | Datatype | What it holds |
|---|---|---|
Object_Identifier | BACnetObjectIdentifier | The object’s type and instance number, unique within the device |
Object_Name | CharacterString | The human-readable point name, unique within the device |
Object_Type | BACnetObjectType | Always escalator for this object |
Status_Flags | BACnetStatusFlags | Four health flags: in-alarm, fault, overridden, out-of-service |
Elevator_Group | BACnetObjectIdentifier | The Elevator Group object this escalator belongs to |
Group_ID | Unsigned | The unit’s group identifier within the installation |
Installation_ID | Unsigned | The identifier of the elevator installation |
Operation_Direction | BACnetEscalatorOperationDirection | Which way the escalator is running (up, down, stopped) |
Passenger_Alarm | BOOLEAN | Whether the passenger alarm is active |
Out_Of_Service | BOOLEAN | When true, the object’s values are decoupled from the physical escalator |
Property_List | BACnetARRAY[N] of BACnetPropertyIdentifier | The list of properties this instance actually implements |
Optional Properties
The properties integrators meet most are Escalator_Mode and Power_Mode, which describe how the unit is running, Fault_Signals, and the energy fields. The intrinsic-reporting group generally appears or is absent as a set. Audit_Level and Auditable_Operations are the audit-logging controls added in 135-2024.
| Property | Datatype | Group |
|---|---|---|
Description | CharacterString | General |
Power_Mode | BOOLEAN | Elevator |
Escalator_Mode | BACnetEscalatorMode | Elevator |
Energy_Meter | REAL | Elevator |
Energy_Meter_Ref | BACnetDeviceObjectReference | Elevator |
Fault_Signals | BACnetLIST of BACnetEscalatorFault | Fault detection |
Reliability | BACnetReliability | Fault detection |
Time_Delay | Unsigned | Intrinsic reporting |
Time_Delay_Normal | Unsigned | Intrinsic reporting |
Event_Detection_Enable | BOOLEAN | Intrinsic reporting |
Notification_Class | Unsigned | Intrinsic reporting |
Event_Enable | BACnetEventTransitionBits | Intrinsic reporting |
Event_State | BACnetEventState | Intrinsic reporting |
Acked_Transitions | BACnetEventTransitionBits | Intrinsic reporting |
Notify_Type | BACnetNotifyType | Intrinsic reporting |
Event_Time_Stamps | BACnetARRAY[3] of BACnetTimeStamp | Intrinsic reporting |
Event_Message_Texts | BACnetARRAY[3] of CharacterString | Intrinsic reporting |
Event_Message_Texts_Config | BACnetARRAY[3] of CharacterString | Intrinsic reporting |
Event_Algorithm_Inhibit | BOOLEAN | Intrinsic reporting |
Event_Algorithm_Inhibit_Ref | BACnetObjectPropertyReference | Intrinsic reporting |
Reliability_Evaluation_Inhibit | BOOLEAN | Fault detection |
Audit_Level | BACnetAuditLevel | Auditing |
Auditable_Operations | BACnetAuditOperationFlags | Auditing |
Tags | BACnetARRAY[N] of BACnetNameValue | Tagging and profile |
Profile_Location | CharacterString | Tagging and profile |
Profile_Name | CharacterString | Tagging and profile |
Related Objects
- Lift: the sibling object for elevator cars in the same elevator group.
- Elevator Group: the supervisory object that groups the escalators and cars controlled together.
What Chipkin Provides
The Escalator object, including its fault signals and CHANGE_OF_STATE passenger-alarm reporting, is a first-class object type in the CAS BACnet Stack. Talk to us about modeling your device’s points.