(Source: Business Wire)
Echelon Corporation (NASDAQ:ELON)
announced today that its LonWorks® technology is being used
in Hamburg, Germany to help move traffic safely through the Elb-Tunnel.
The traffic guidance solution uses light emitting diode (LED) lights
embedded with Echelon's LonWorks control technology to guide cars
through the 3.2 kilometer tunnel, optimizing traffic flow and reducing
pollution. Up to 150,000 vehicles per day use the tunnel.
The highly robust surface lights are similar to those used by aircraft
while taxiing to or from airport terminals. The new system replaces the
mechanical guidance system (concrete blocks or beacons) for directing
traffic into the correct lanes, a laborious and dangerous task involving
the manual repositioning of the blocks or beacons according to various
traffic situations, which is a costly and time-consuming exercise.
The solution, developed by WHO Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH as a
subcontractor of SIEMENS AG -- Traffic Solutions for this project,
features over 650 electronically controlled LED surface lights that lead
up to the tunnel. The light fixtures are networked using Echelon's power
line communication technology, allowing them to communicate over
existing power lines. The LED lighting network is connected by Echelon's
i.LON®100 Internet Servers to the tunnel operator's IT
infrastructure and control center, helping crews make real-time
decisions about traffic control and system maintenance.
"In this application, safety is paramount. We selected the LonWorks
technology for this solution due to its proven reliability, ability to
communicate over existing power lines, and because it is an
international standard for control. This helps reduce installation cost
and time," said Detlef Thon, a managing partner at WHO.
"This solution is an example of the flexibility of the LonWorks
technology, and its ability to help solve complex issues, such as
traffic control and safety," said Martin Boettner, sales director,
Germany and Eastern Europe, Echelon GmbH. "Our power line technology
offers the most robust, lowest-cost way to communicate over power lines
and has earned a reputation for reliability in systems all over the
world."
About WHO Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH
WHO Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH is among the world's leading service
providers and developers in the LonWorks technology field. Formed in
1995, WHO develops customized hardware and software products.
