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Elevator Light Curtains — Lift Door Safety Sensors
Infrared elevator light curtains with response times from 6 ms, IP65 protection, and EN 81-20 compliance — engineered for passenger and freight lifts. Factory-direct OEM supply from China’s safety sensor specialist.
Reliable Elevator Door Protection Starts With The Right Light Curtain
Annual elevator door-closing is a major part of the passenger risk profile in commercial and residential applications. Aging mechanical safety edges, unable to sense small objects and prone to false alarms, leaves building owners open to code violations. A new elevator light curtain powerfully replaces physical contact detection with a dense infrared beam array. The system continuously scans the full door opening and completes an instant reversal signal the moment a object 50 mm in diameter enters the path.
QJKH elevator light curtains rely on our ENT industrial safety platform – the same infrared technology used in press brakes and robotic cells, now designed for the specific needs of lift door protection. With optical synchronization across dual-frequency channels (A and B bands), our sensors mitigate same-source light interference even when several elevator units operate side by side.
QJKH Elevator Light Curtain Series
Our elevator door sensor family covers standard passenger lifts, freight elevators, and wheelchair-accessible units. Each system ships as a matched transmitter-receiver pair complete with power box and cable – ready for installing on car door rails.
| Parameter | Standard Series | Slim Series | High-Beam Series |
|---|---|---|---|
| Optical Axis Spacing | 20 mm | 10 mm | 10 mm |
| Detection Accuracy | 25 mm | 14 mm | 14 mm |
| Detection Distance | 0–10 m (Type A) | 0–5 m (Type C) | 0–16 m (Type B) |
| Operating Voltage | DC 24V ±20% | DC 24V ±20% | AC 220V / DC 24V |
| Response Time | 6.0–30.8 ms | 6.0–18.4 ms | 6.0–30.8 ms |
| Protection Rating | IP65 | IP65 | IP65 |
| Cross-Section | 34 × 28 mm | 34 × 28 mm | 34 × 28 mm |
| Light Interference | Sunlight 10,000 lux | Sunlight 10,000 lux | Sunlight 10,000 lux |
| Configuration | Infrared remote | Infrared remote / APP | Infrared remote / APP |
All units incorporate PNP/NPN one-button configurable output, compatible with the elevator control systems from leading OEMs. The optical synchronization channel uses B dual-frequency band to prevent interference between adjacent elevator door detectors in the same shaft.
Struggling to specify a light curtain suitable for your elevator controller? Our applications engineers can recommend the ideal unit.
Key Features and Technical Specifications
The differentiation between a rugged elevator light curtain and a mass-market sensor boils down to three factors – time to response is not the most critical. Manufacturer industry test programs cite diode count as the number-one determinant of performance. A 32-diode detector finds 50 mm objects with no detection gaps at all, while a 24-diode unit leaves gaps in the upper door edges where passengers are at greatest risk.
Safety Certifications
🛡️ TÜV Certified
Cat.4 / PL e
Type 4 / SIL 3
IP65 Rated
EN 81-20 Ready
Our elevator light curtain units build on the infrastructure of the safety light curtain platform — TÜV certified to Cat.4, Performance Level e, Type 4, and SIL 3. Integrated vibration damping handles the mechanical stress of thousands of door cycles per day, and IP65 ingress protection keeps the sensor operational in parking garages and freight environments where dust and moisture are constant.
Cascading Design for Large Openings
For freight elevators and wide-door passenger lifts, QJKH elevator light curtains accommodate a cascading adapter system — multiple light curtain units link into a single protection network with unified scheduling. Add or remove units based on the opening width without replacing the entire installation.
Light Curtain vs Safety Edge vs 3D Sensor — Which One Fits Your Lift?
Elevator door protection technology has evolved through three generations. Mechanical safety edges still serve millions of older lifts — including many with legacy WECO units installed decades ago — but noncontact detection dominates new installations and modernizations. This list compares published manufacturer data – not marketing claims.
| Feature | 2D Light Curtain | Mechanical Safety Edge | 3D Sensor (ToF) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Detection Method | Non-contact infrared beams | Physical contact / retraction | Time-of-Flight projection |
| Response Time | 6–31 ms | 50–200 ms (mechanical delay) | 30–100 ms |
| Min. Object Detection | 14 mm (criss-cross) | ~25 mm (contact required) | 50 mm typical |
| Detection Zone | Full door width, 25–1,600 mm height | Door edge only | 3D zone extending into corridor |
| Wear Parts | None | Rubber edge, springs, pivots | None |
| Sunlight Immunity | 10,000 lux | N/A (mechanical) | Varies by model |
| EN 81-20 Compliance | ✔ Native | Legacy — may not meet 50 mm req. | ✔ ASME A17.1-2019 |
| Installation | Car door rails, no controller mod | Door edge replacement | Transom or header mount |
| Best For | Standard + freight lifts (cost-effective) | Budget retrofit on legacy lifts | High-traffic public facilities |
For most of passenger and freight elevator installations, a 2D infrared light curtain provides the most effective balance of detection precision, code compliance, and ease of installation. 3D sensors may be beneficial in high-volume settings – airports, hospital, shopping malls – where precursory detection of oncoming objects before they enter the door plane minimizes door impacts and corresponding damage.
Not sure which technology fits your project? Get a free assessment from our engineering team.
OEM & Custom Elevator Light Curtain Supply
QJKH operates from a 5,000 m² electronics manufacturing facility situated in Hangzhou Airport Economic Zone, utilizing SMT high-precision placement lines and MV-6eOMNI 3D AOI inspection systems. Every elevator light curtain unit undergoes electromagnetic compatibility testing, temperature and humidity cycling, vibration and shock trials, and IP ingress verification before shipment.
Supply Terms
| Customization | Beam count, detection distance, voltage, protection height, branding (OEM white-label available) |
|---|---|
| Quality System | SMT production + 3D AOI + EMC/vibration/IP testing |
| Samples | Free test samples available upon request |
| Certifications | TÜV, Cat.4, PL e, Type 4, SIL 3, CE, EN 81-20 |
| Markets Served | Importers and distributors worldwide |
Elevator Light Curtain Engineering Tools
Access our suite of professional engineering calculators designed to simplify your elevator door protection planning. Whether you need to specify a precise sensor model or calculate compliance metrics, our tools provide instant, code-compliant data.
Elevator Light Curtain Selector
Answer a few quick questions about your operating voltage, required detection distance, and elevator application to instantly find the exact QJKH light curtain model that fits your lift system perfectly.
Open Selector →
Beam Count & Protection Height Calculator
Input your door opening dimensions and target safety standards (such as EN 81-20 or ASME A17.1) to automatically calculate the required beam count, precise protection zone, and estimated response time.
Launch Calculator →
Elevator Light Curtain FAQ
An elevator light curtain is an infrared safety sensor mounted on both sides of the car door. The transmitter fires a dense array of infrared beams across the opening; the receiver registers any interruption. When a passenger or object breaks even a single beam, the elevator control system gets an instant signal to stop and reverse the door — no physical contact needed.
Yes. EN 81-20 (Section 5.3.6.2.1.1) requires every new passenger and goods lift to have a protective device that detects objects as small as 50 mm, covering 25 mm to 1,600 mm above the car door sill. ASME A17.1/CSA B44 in North America sets parallel requirements. Light curtains with 36 or more diodes satisfy these standards natively.
A mechanical safety edge needs physical contact to trigger door reversal — it sits on the door edge and depends on moving parts that wear over time. An elevator light curtain uses non-contact infrared detection across the full door width, responds in as little as 6 ms, and has zero wear components. Light curtains detect smaller objects (down to 14 mm with criss-cross beams) and meet current EN 81-20 requirements that many older safety edges cannot.
Yes. QJKH elevator light curtains mount directly on standard car door rails with T-bolt or magnetic brackets — no structural modification to the elevator cab is required. The PNP/NPN configurable output connects to most elevator controllers without swapping the control board. Both DC 24V and AC 220V models are available to match your existing electrical setup.
Consider three specs: 1) Diode count – 32+ diodes guarantee EN 81-20 enough detection capability for 50 mm objects with no gaps. 2) Detection range – align with the space inside your door (Type A: 0-10 m, Type B: 0-16 m, Type C: 0-5 m). 3) Operating voltage – determine if your controller consumes DC 24 V or AC 220 V. Operational response time differences across competitive sensors (6-70 ms) have no practical impact at common door closing velocities.
QJKH elevator light curtains respond in 6.0 to 30.8 ms, depending on beam count and protection height. At a standard door closing speed of 0.5 m/s, even a 30 ms response adds only 15 mm of extra door travel before reversal — well within safe operating margins for passenger and freight lifts.
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