Concise description

Best possible airport security combined with the shortest possible waiting times for passengers - this is the aim of all future-oriented airport operators. Automation light grids from SICK provide a variety of high-performance solutions.

Task

Security is an issue of the topmost priority at every airport in the world. This security is regulated by national and international laws, including the German Air Security Act (LuftSiG) in Germany and EU regulations 300/2008 and 185/2010 which are applicable throughout Europe. Based on these laws and regulations, airports are divided up into security areas to which access is strictly controlled. In concrete terms, this means that the monitoring of crossing points between the landside and airside is an extremely important task. Departing passengers reach the gate on the airside (the area beyond the security check) from the landside and arriving passengers move from the airside to the landside via entry locks.

Airport operators work together with partners specialized in providing systems that are tailored to meet these specific requirements.

In view of this, airport suppliers were looking for sensor solutions for their entry lock systems that would ensure the reliable detection of passengers and prevent them from going in the wrong direction and ending up on the airside. It must also be impossible for objects to reach the airside in this way. With SICK, the specialist in security and intralogistics tasks at airports, these suppliers, and in turn the airport operators themselves, can trust that they are in safe hands.

Implementation

The ‘duo’ concept and high resolution of the light grids guarantee reliable detection of objects and motion in the wrong direction

These requirements were met using a SICK light grid (MLG) that has already been accepted at numerous airports as a reliable sensor solution. The detection of movement in the wrong direction is achieved by means of a ‘duo’ concept, i.e. having two MLGs installed a few millimeters apart from each other with a time-delayed response. The resolution of the light grids is so high that even if someone attempts to push a flat object along the floor or along the top of the entry lock system, or to throw something through it, can be detected and signaled reliably. Passage through the entry lock in the correct direction from the airfield, for instance, to baggage reclaim, i.e. going out of the security area, is registered as correct. If someone or something crosses the entry lock in the wrong direction, an alarm signal is set off immediately. At the same time, any airside entry lock door that is potentially still open is locked to prevent access to the security areas.

Customer benefits

This light grid is sturdy and meets the requirements of the application environment: the compact stainless steel housing protects it from mechanical damage and fits the design of the entry lock system perfectly. Maximum detection reliability is ensured because surface shine and reflections, e.g. from an aluminum flight trolley or other influences of ambient light such as sunlight shining through the glass roof or fluorescent lamps in the entry lock area, do not affect the reliable detection of passengers or objects. Because both the evaluation electronics and the switching outputs are integrated into the light grid housing, no external module is required. As a result, the light grid can be easily integrated into the entry lock system mechanically and electrically. SICK also offers airport suppliers and their end customers a worldwide, quick response and qualified service support in the areas of planning, implementation, maintenance and repair. This guarantees a high level of investment and system reliability.