The Thesis Hotel — Installation Guide

Robot-Elevator
Integration Kit

A step-by-step guide to connecting the robot fleet to the elevators at The Thesis Hotel — a 10-story property with guest rooms on floors 4–10, service areas, and linen closets on every floor.

From unboxing to first autonomous linen delivery ride — in one shift.

10
Floors
4–8
Hours to Install
5
Components
10
RFID Tags
1
Elevator Tech

What Is This?

A small hardware kit that lets delivery robots call and ride the elevators at The Thesis Hotel autonomously — no modifications to the elevator's safety systems.

📦

The Kit

Two small boxes (E-Box Master & Slave), 10 passive RFID tags (one per floor), and an RFID reader. That's it.

🛗

The Goal

A robot on Floor 4 needs to deliver linens to Floor 9. It calls the elevator, rides up, exits, and delivers — no human involved.

✅

The Result

Autonomous linen delivery, room service, and supply runs across all 10 floors of The Thesis. 24/7, no button pressing.

The Thesis Hotel — Building Profile

Floors: 10 stories (Lobby – Floor 10)
Guest Rooms: Floors 4–10
Room Types: QB, QE, KB, KD, KA, KF, KH, KJ
Service Areas: Clean Linen, Soiled Linen, Telecom, Ice Machine on each floor

Each guest floor has a central corridor with rooms on both sides, a Clean Linen closet, Soiled Linen closet, and Telecom room — all accessible to delivery robots via the elevator integration.

Think of it like this: The E-Box kit gives your robot a "finger" to press elevator buttons electronically, and "eyes" (RFID) to know which floor the elevator is on. The Master box at the top of the shaft talks to the Slave box on the elevator car via radio (LoRa). The Slave box is wired into the button panel, so it can call any floor the robot needs. A robot at the lobby can autonomously ride to Floor 7's Clean Linen closet and back without anyone touching a button.

How It Works

Five components work together inside the elevator shaft to give robots autonomous floor-to-floor access.

The Thesis Hotel
10-Story Elevator Shaft Cross-Section
ELEVATOR SHAFT ROOF / MACHINE RM FLOOR 10 Rooms 1001-1024 FLOOR 9 Rooms 901-924 FLOOR 8 Rooms 801-824 FLOOR 7 FLOOR 6 FLOOR 5 FLOOR 4 Rooms 401-424 FLOOR 3 FLOOR 2 LOBBY Guest Floors (4-10) E-BOX MASTER INTERNET Cloud 1 Master at top of shaft 220V power + internet cable LoRa Radio Signal RFID RFID RFID RFID RFID RFID RFID RFID RFID RFID 10 RFID Tags one per floor 3 ELEVATOR CAR E-BOX SLAVE READER IO Cable (red) 2 Slave on cabin top 220V power 4 RFID Reader on cabin Reads tags as cabin moves 5 CAM ROBOT Linen Delivery WiFi Each Guest Floor Has: Clean Linen | Soiled Linen Telecom | Ice Machine CURRENT FLOOR L IDLE
E-Box Master
E-Box Slave
RFID Tags
RFID Reader
IO Wiring
Path A: Direct (LoRa)
Robot sends floor request
↓
E-Box Slave receives via LoRa
↓
Slave activates IO relay → floor button pressed
Fastest path — direct radio
Path B: Cloud + LoRa
Robot sends via WiFi → Cloud
↓
Cloud → E-Box Master (internet)
↓
Master → Slave (LoRa) → panel
Redundant path — cloud-routed
Floor Detection: RFID
Passive RFID tag on each floor’s shaft wall
↓
RFID Reader on cabin top reads tags
↓
Slave knows cabin’s exact floor
Passive tags — no power needed

What You'll Need

Everything required for a complete installation, start to finish.

📦 In the Kit

  • 1
    E-Box Master — Mounts at top of elevator shaft. Gateway to cloud.
  • 1
    E-Box Slave — Mounts on top of elevator cabin. Controls the panel.
  • 10
    RFID Tags (one per floor) — Passive. Stick to shaft wall at each floor level. 10 tags for The Thesis.
  • 1
    RFID Reader — Mounts on cabin top. Reads tags as cabin moves.
  • 1
    T-BOX — Configuration terminal for setup & diagnostics.
  • 3
    12V 2A Power Adaptors — One per E-Box + one spare.
  • 8
    IO Cable Harnesses — 4 channels each. Connect Slave to elevator buttons.

🔧 Tools Required

● Zip ties / cable ties
● Wire strippers / splicing tools
● 3M adhesive strips or screws
● Multimeter
● RJ45 ethernet cable (1m)
● RJ11 telephone cable (1m)
● Micro USB cable
● Windows 10 laptop + USB drive

🚨 Personnel Required

An elevator technician is required for this installation. They will:

  • • Provide safe access to the shaft and cabin top
  • • Identify the correct wiring connections on the control panel
  • • Power off the elevator during wiring steps
  • • Verify the installation does not affect safety systems

Step-by-Step Installation

Six steps from unboxing to operational. Each step includes what to do, where to do it, and what to check.

1

Install the E-Box Master at the Top of the Shaft

The Master unit is the brain of the system. It sits at the very top of the elevator shaft (in the machine room if there is one) and connects to the building's internet.

What to do:

  1. Secure the E-Box Master to the shaft structure using screws or 3M adhesive, above the steel cable port
  2. Connect the 220V power adaptor
  3. Run an RJ45 ethernet cable from the Master to the building network
  4. Ensure the LoRa antenna points straight down into the shaft
  5. Confirm the blue indicator light turns on
SHAFT TOP MASTER 220V RJ45 LoRa ↓ Shaft continues below...
For elevators with a machine room: Place the E-Box Master above the steel cable port with no shelter below it. For MRL (machine-room-less) elevators, mount it at the top of the well, away from the control cabinet.
2

Install the E-Box Slave on Top of the Elevator Cabin

The Slave unit rides on top of the elevator car. It receives commands from the Master and controls the cabin's floor buttons through IO cables.

What to do:

  1. Access the top of the elevator cabin (elevator tech puts car in inspection mode)
  2. Secure the Slave unit with screws or cable ties to the cabin frame
  3. Connect 220V power (from cabin top power outlet)
  4. Orient the LoRa antenna straight up toward the Master
  5. Keep wires clean and tidy — use zip ties to bundle excess cable
ELEVATOR CAR SLAVE LoRa ↑ IO Cables zip ties
Precautions: Do NOT install the Slave near an air outlet or in a position where it could be stepped on. The auxiliary machine adapter should be secured with cable ties. Keep all wiring neat and bundled.
3

Install 10 RFID Tags on the Shaft Wall — Every Floor

One passive RFID tag per floor (Lobby through Floor 10 = 10 tags total). They require no power — the RFID reader on the cabin detects them as it passes.

What to do:

  1. Raise the elevator to each floor's level sensor position
  2. On the shaft wall, mark the position aligned with where the RFID Reader will pass
  3. Drill holes and mount the RFID tag bracket, or use 3M adhesive on concrete walls
  4. Ensure the tag is horizontal and vertical — level and plumb
  5. Repeat for every floor
SHAFT WALL RFID Floor 3 RFID Floor 2 RFID Floor 1 200–300mm gap to reader READER reads →
Critical rules: Keep RFID tags at least 200mm from any metal surface and 150mm from wires. The best gap between tag and reader is 200–300mm (acceptable range: 180–400mm). Alignment deviation must be less than 50mm. For buildings with multiple elevator shafts, do NOT install tags on the same wall. Never use foam glue.
4

Mount the RFID Reader on Top of the Cabin

The reader rides on the cabin and scans the RFID tags as the elevator moves between floors. It tells the Slave exactly what floor the car is on.

What to do:

  1. Find mounting holes on the front side of the elevator car's door machine
  2. If no holes exist, drill mounting holes on the spot
  3. Fix the RFID Reader's mounting bracket to the car door machine
  4. Position it so that when the cabin is level with a floor, the reader faces the RFID tag on the shaft wall
  5. Connect the Reader's data cable to the E-Box Slave
  6. Verify alignment: check that reader and tag face each other squarely when the car is at each floor
CABIN Door Machine READER TAG SLAVE
5

Align LoRa Antennas (Master & Slave)

The Master and Slave communicate by LoRa radio through the elevator shaft. Antenna orientation is critical for reliable signal.

MASTER SLAVE
BEST
Antennas parallel, clear path
MASTER SLAVE
WEAK
Angled antenna, degraded signal
MASTER SLAVE bounce
POOR
Signal bouncing off walls
Verification: Test communication stability by running the background pressure test from the T-BOX (2–3 iterations). If the indicator light is normal but LoRa can't communicate, open the box and check the antenna feeder and LoRa module contact.
6

Wire the E-Box Slave to the Elevator Panel

This is the final and most critical step. The Slave's IO cables connect to the elevator's button panel, giving it the ability to "press" floor buttons electronically. Power off the elevator before wiring.

Option A

Wire to Button Terminals

Connect IO cables to the back of the cabin panel buttons. Each IO wire parallels one button. Like wiring a second "finger" to each button.

  1. Open the cabin panel (elevator tech)
  2. Unplug the button connector
  3. Use multimeter to identify signal lines per button
  4. Splice IO cable to each button's signal line
  5. Reconnect and test each floor
Option B

Wire to Control Board

Connect IO cables directly to the lift control board's terminal strip. Bypasses buttons entirely and goes straight to the elevator's brain.

  1. Access the control board (usually behind panel or in machine room)
  2. Locate Terminal Strip G (car call terminals)
  3. Weld or connect IO cable signal points to corresponding floor terminals
  4. Test each floor call individually
Safety: The E-Box uses Normally Open (NO) relay logic. Always power off the elevator when connecting wires. The signal cable connects to the signal line of the button — never connect to high-voltage power lines. An elevator technician must supervise this step.

Post-Installation Verification Checklist

Below this line

Technical Reference

Detailed wiring tables, construction standards, antenna specifications, and panel wiring scenarios for elevator technicians.

IO Port → Floor Mapping

The E-Box Slave has 32 IO channels across 8 cable harnesses (4 channels per cable). Box logic: Normally Open (NO).

Cable IO Function IO Function IO Function IO Function
1 1 Door Open 2 0 (reserved) 3 Normally Open 4 Normally Closed
2 5 Floor 1 6 Floor 2 7 Floor 3 8 Floor 4
3 9 Floor 5 10 Floor 6 11 Floor 7 12 Floor 8
4 13 Floor 9 14 Floor 10 15 Floor 11 16 Floor 12
5 17 Floor 13 18 Floor 14 19 Floor 15 20 Floor 16
6 21 Floor 17 22 Floor 18 23 Floor 19 24 Floor 20
7 25 Floor 21 26 Floor 22 27 Floor 23 28 Floor 24
8 29 Floor 25 30 Floor 26 31 Floor 27 32 Floor 28

E-BOX physical ports: RJ45 (network), RS-485 (serial), FLOOR (indicator), USB (config), DC power. Maximum supported floors: 28 + door open. The Thesis Hotel uses IO ports 1 (door), 5–14 (Lobby through Floor 10).

RFID Tag & Reader Construction Standards

Spacing Requirements

  • ● Reader-to-tag gap: 180–400mm (optimal: 200–300mm)
  • ● Vertical/horizontal alignment deviation: <50mm
  • ● Minimum distance from metal surfaces: 200mm
  • ● Minimum distance from wires/guardrails: 150mm

Prohibited Practices

  • ✗ Do NOT use foam glue to secure tags
  • ✗ Do NOT install tags on the same wall for multiple elevator shafts
  • ✗ Do NOT place tags near steel slots without 200mm clearance

Installation Procedure (Per Floor)

  1. Raise elevator to floor level sensor position
  2. Find mounting holes on car door machine front for the reader bracket (drill if needed)
  3. On shaft wall, locate position corresponding to reader, mark with crosshairs
  4. Drill holes and install the fixed RFID tag bracket
  5. Verify that tag and reader face each other when car is level
  6. Check alignment accuracy, then secure all hardware

Mounting Methods

  • ● Concrete walls: 3M adhesive or screw-in brackets
  • ● Metal surfaces: Screw-in brackets with 200mm standoff
  • ● Reader: Bolt to car door machine frame

Cabin Panel Wiring Scenarios

The wiring method depends on what type of elevator button panel you have. There are four common scenarios.

Scene 1

Physical Circuit Board (No Card Reader)

  1. Unplug the button connector from the operation panel
  2. Press each button and use a multimeter to measure the on-off signal of each key
  3. Connect the E-Box IO cable to the signal line of each button
  4. Power must be OFF during wiring
Scene 2

Physical Circuit Board (With Card Reader)

  1. Same as Scene 1, but signal line connects to the front end of the card reader's signal line (near the end of the motherboard)
  2. E-Box signal line must be upstream of the card reader
Scene 3

Scanning Circuit Board (No Card Reader)

  1. Press each button, use multimeter to identify the two on-state signal points
  2. Weld (solder) the E-Box IO cable to the two signal points of each button
Scene 4

Scanning Circuit Board (With Card Reader)

  1. Combine Scene 3 wiring with Scene 2 card reader positioning
  2. Solder signal wires upstream of card reader to the scanning board

Complete System Topology

// Keenon E-Box Elevator Integration — Physical Layout

TOP OF SHAFT (Machine Room)
  ┌─────────────────┐    ┌───────────┐
  │  E-BOX MASTER  │───>│  Internet  │───> Cloud
  │  220V + RJ45    │    │  Cable     │
  └────────┬────────┘    └───────────┘
           │ LoRa (antennas parallel, straight line)
  ─ ─ ─ ─ ─│─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ SHAFT WALL ─ ─ ─
           │
  [RFID]   │    Floor N
  [RFID]   │    Floor N-1
  [RFID]   │    Floor N-2
           │
TOP OF CABIN
  ┌─────────┴────────┐    ┌─────────────┐
  │  E-BOX SLAVE    │<──>│ RFID READER │
  │  220V power      │    │ (reads tags) │
  └────────┬─────────┘    └─────────────┘
           │ IO Cables (8 harnesses, 32 channels)
           │
  ┌────────┴─────────┐
  │  CABIN PANEL     │    Option A: wire to buttons
  │  (or Control     │    Option B: wire to controller PCB
  │   Board)         │
  └──────────────────┘

  ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ LOBBY FLOOR ─ ─ ─ ─

  ┌─────────────────┐    LoRa (direct) or
  │     ROBOT       │<──> WiFi → Cloud → Master (cloud path)
  │  4G/WiFi        │
  └─────────────────┘

E-Box Slave Installation Precautions

⚠ Placement
  • • Do NOT install near air outlets
  • • Do NOT place where it could be stepped on
  • • Secure with cable ties, not adhesive alone
  • • The auxiliary machine adapter must be secured with cable ties
🔌 Power
  • • 100–240V power adapter (included in kit)
  • • Connect to cabin top power outlet
  • • Ensure power cable is zip-tied and clear of moving parts
  • • 3x 12V 2A adaptors total (Master + Slave + spare)
✅ Best Practices
  • • Keep all wiring clean and tidy
  • • Use zip ties to fix excess wire
  • • Route cables away from elevator machinery
  • • Label each IO cable with its floor number

End-to-End Robot Ride Workflow

What happens from the moment a robot needs to change floors to the moment it resumes navigation. Seven steps, fully autonomous.

1
REQUEST
Robot sends floor + direction to middleware
2
CALL
Middleware triggers elevator via relay or API
3
DETECT
System detects elevator arrival (sensor or RFID)
4
ENTER
Robot confirms door open, enters via LIDAR/SLAM
5
SELECT
Middleware selects destination floor via relay
6
RIDE
System monitors ride (RFID sensor feedback)
7
EXIT
Robot exits on arrival, resumes navigation

Middleware State Machine

Every ride follows a deterministic 11-state lifecycle. The middleware orchestrates hardware, sensors, and robot commands through each transition.

IDLE → CALL_REQUESTED → WAITING_FOR_ELEVATOR → DOOR_OPEN → ENTERING → INSIDE → SELECTING_FLOOR → MOVING → ARRIVED → EXITING → COMPLETE

Elevator Call API

POST /elevator/call
{
"floor": 3,
"direction": "up"
}

Sensor Suite

  • 1 Door detection — magnetic reed switch or camera confirms open/close
  • 2 Arrival confirmation — RFID tag + door sensor verifies correct car at floor
  • 3 Obstacle detection — robot’s onboard LIDAR/camera for safe entry/exit
  • 4 Load sensors (optional) — detect if elevator is at capacity

Safety, Compliance & Failure Handling

Safety & Compliance

  • ⚠ ASME A17.1 — must comply with elevator safety standards; cannot modify or bypass any safety circuit
  • ⚠ Fail-safe — system fails without interfering with elevator operation; NO relay logic means power loss = normal elevator
  • ⚠ Human priority — physical button presses always override relay commands; robots yield to occupied elevators
  • ⚠ Emergency override — fire service, maintenance mode, and emergency recalls always override robot control

Failure Modes & Recovery

  • • Elevator doesn’t arrive → retry after timeout; 3 fails = try alternate car
  • • Doors close mid-entry → LIDAR detects, robot aborts and reverses
  • • Elevator full → load/camera sensor detects, robot waits for next car
  • • Wrong elevator arrives → RFID verification before entering
  • • Network failure → cloud fails = fall back to LoRa; LoRa fails = safe shutdown

Control Logic Principles

📡
Sensors > Timers
Use real sensor feedback over timing assumptions for reliability
🔄
Retry Logic
Implement automatic retries for missed elevator calls with escalation
🏢
Multi-Elevator
Selection logic picks optimal car from a bank of elevators
🚪
Door Confirm
Robot always confirms door state before entering or exiting