iWLAN for Cable Car Control
The single-track cable car “Kristbergbahn” in Montafon has a length of 1,575 meters and transports up to 35 passengers at a time over an elevation of 555 meters to the mountain station. With an investment of around €750,000, the cable car was modernized in 2016. The entire control system, electrical technology, braking system, as well as the gondola and station exit were completely renewed. As part of the project, Wireless.Consulting GmbH planned and installed a completely new industrial WLAN (iWLAN) concept. The main focus was system availability, because with a transport capacity of up to 215 people per hour, delays caused by failures in control data transmission are not acceptable.
Challenge
Every year, hundreds of millions of people worldwide are transported using cable-driven systems. The high availability and operational safety of these systems depend largely on the reliability of the electrical equipment. With an innovative portfolio of solutions for cable car builders and operators, Siemens, together with Siemens Solution Partner Frey Austria GmbH and the WLAN integrator Wireless Consulting GmbH, provides a wide range of electrical drive, automation, and visualization solutions. These services include system engineering, on-site installation and commissioning, as well as maintenance and support. For the transmission of control data, Frey uses industrial WLAN as the communication medium, planned and integrated by Wireless Consulting GmbH. The main focus is system availability, because with a capacity of 215 passengers per hour, any interruption of control data could cause major operational delays and significant revenue losses, especially during the winter ski season.
Solution
For the Kristbergbahn and other cable car projects, Frey works together with Wireless Consulting to implement the following solutions, all designed to ensure high availability and minimal downtime. In addition, an IP telephone system and remote maintenance access are installed to quickly resolve issues if they occur:
- Control system according to CEN standards (main drive, copy systems, brakes, etc.)
- AC main drive with 4-Q converter Sinamics S150 (Siemens)
- Modern control and visualization systems (stations and vehicle)
- Fail-safe WLAN connection to the vehicle
- Integrated IP telephone system
- Remote maintenance access
