Standards Development

Scope

This CEN Technical Specification specifies the lighting and operating requirements for the application of adaptive emergency escape lighting systems that can interact with management and control systems or be provided with functionality to modify the operation of emergency escape lighting according to situational requirements, in terms of luminous flux output, escape directions and the characteristics and meaning of emergency escape lighting. The situational requirements can require the involvement and interaction with components and systems other than emergency escape lighting systems.

Requirements for these components or systems are not part of this document.

Purpose

The objective of escape route lighting is to assist the safe exit from a location for occupants by providing appropriate visual conditions and direction finding on escape routes by means of a combination of luminaires and signs designed to meet predetermined conditions.

Adaptive Emergency Escape Lighting Systems (AEELS) can be useful to revise the escape routing depending upon the location of a particular hazard, by using exit directional signs and/or adequate lighting levels that can be controlled to change routing information and to direct occupants away from an exit route that has become unusable.

Adaptive Emergency Escape Lighting Systems may operate in number of different ways. For example, where signage is changed at the start of the evacuation procedure only or alternatively the information portrayed by the signs can be changed during the evacuation as circumstances dictate (e.g. if another exit route is compromised).

In addition, conspicuity of signage can also be increased by varying the sign luminance.