No. 5/2025 (February 3, 2025)
Autonomous bus at Europe's first airport.
China's Robobus is launching Europe's first unmanned shuttle service at Zurich Airport. Robobus, the world's first autonomous minibus designed for urban roads, is starting operations in Europe. Zurich will be the first airport on the continent to implement this innovative transportation solution.
An autonomous transportation service has been launched at Zurich Airport.
This is the first commercial project of an autonomous bus at a European airport.
Photo: Nino Steffen via Unsplash.
This is the first commercial project of an autonomous bus at a European airport.
Photo: Nino Steffen via Unsplash.
The Autonomous Robobus, designed and manufactured by WeRide, accommodates nine passengers. It is also the first commercial project of such a bus at an airport in Europe. The new service will serve the route between the employee entrance at gate 101 and the service area at gate 130. The planned launch of the service is scheduled for the first quarter of 2025.
The project in Zurich follows Robobus' success in Paris, where it operated a five-kilometer route during the French Open. This was part of a partnership with Renault Group to promote environmentally friendly public transportation solutions. Its use at the airport – a place where all security procedures are very strict – means that the Paris test showed no shortcomings in this regard.
The Robobus was implemented through a collaboration between WeRide, Flughafen Zürich AG and Swiss Transit Lab (STL). This is an important step toward autonomous transportation at one of Europe's key airports. WeRide assures that their vehicle is fully autonomous and its design enables mass production. The Robobus was developed in cooperation with Yutong Group and can be used for both public and private transportation, regardless of weather conditions.
Key features of the Robobus:
- no steering wheel and pedals: the design of the vehicle does not include traditional controls such as a steering wheel, accelerator or brake pedal.
- maximum speed: 39 km/h
- electric range: up to 200 km on a single charge
- 360° vision: thanks to advanced sensors, the vehicle eliminates blind spots
- V2X compatibility: Robobus connects to other vehicles and road infrastructure
Robobus is opening up new possibilities for the future of transportation in Europe by combining innovation with care for the environment.
Why a 3-wave OTDR?
Having an OTDR device with the ability to make measurements at 3 wavelengths comes with a number of benefits. The first is the ability to provide service to a variety of customers, regardless of their requirements. Among the requirements for performing reflectometry measurements, one can find both, those in which the customer expects measurements for 1310 nm and 1550 nm and those in which only measurements at 1625 nm are expected (mainly measurements in the networks of larger operators). The OR-30 L5835 allows for each of these types of assignments.Another benefit is the possibility of full diagnostics of the system being made. The additional 1625 nm laser makes it possible to detect any macro-bends in the system that would not necessarily manifest themselves with 1310/1550 nm measurements. The higher wavelength, due to occupying a larger area of the MFD in the fiber, is more sensitive to leakage at bends, resulting in increased attenuation. However, it is worth making measurements at lower wavelengths as well, since it is at these wavelengths that transmission is usually realized. In addition, the 1310 nm wavelength helps highlight fiber positioning problems (poor connectors, splices). To summarize, 3-wave measurement is a complete measurement and provides full information about the network.
An example of a 3-wavelength measurement performed with the ULTIMODE OR-30-S3S5S62B-iSMV L5835, in which the measurement at a longer wavelength highlighted a problem at the splice site. The problem, however, is not the splice itself, but the bend in the fiber that occurs right behind it. Event number 2 is a combination (splice) of fibers in G.652.D and G.657.B3. When measured at a wavelength of 1310 nm, an apparent signal amplification (gain) of 0.104 dB was recorded at this location, as expected (screenshot on the left) – you can read more about "gainers" here. This is the correct combination. The measurement at 1550 nm gives a worse result – an attenuation of 0.233 dB appears at the apparent gain spot (middle screenshot), which is a poor result for a splice and suggests that there may be a kink there. This is finally confirmed by a measurement at 1625 nm, which gives a result of 0.717 dB at this location (screenshot on the right). After eliminating the kink on the fiber, the measurement at 1310 nm did not change, while for higher wavelengths this connection became invisible in the measurement.
Optical-copper DVB-T2 and DVB-S/S2 system in a hotel complex.
An owner of a large hotel complex commissioned the system for distribution of DVB-T2 terrestrial television signals and DVB-S/S2 satellite signals, covering 5 facilities. The purpose of the system was to provide terrestrial TV signals in the new DVB-T2 standard from a local transmitter and 15 FTA satellite programs in the form of digital DVB-T signal. TERRA brand equipment was chosen for the project.To ensure the highest quality of terrestrial TV signal distribution and to equalize signal levels at the input of the system, the contractor decided to use TERRA PA-420 R82516 programmable channel amplifier. Reception, distribution and conversion of satellite programs to DVB-T standard is made possible by tdx-481 R81621 transmodulator. The panel configuration shown in the diagram enables reception of 16 satellite programs in Full HD quality from 8 transponders in the digital terrestrial television standard.
The diagram of the optical-copper wirign for five hotel facilities, including distribution of DVB-T/T2 signals, includes the following elements:
- +==DVB-T2 signal from the local transmitter, comprising 6 multiplexes of digital terrestrial television (processed on the PA-420 R82516 amplifier) and 8 multiplexes coming from the tdx-481 R81621 transmodulator, is the main source signal.===
- Local subnetwork – the source signal is separated and transmitted to a local subnetwork, located in the facility where the technical room is located. In this facility, equipment is installed to process, distribute and monitor the signal.
- Fiber optic switchboard – from the facility with the technical room, the signal is sent to the other 4 hotel facilities via single-mode fiber optic cables. The mo418 4D31 R82522 optical transmitter with a laser power of 6 dBm was used to for that purpose. In addition, an optical splitter so414 R82527 is mounted on the same DIN rail R82538 to split the signal into four optical paths. Power supply for the transmitter is provided by UP-413 12 V/4.5 A power supply R82533
- Copper wiring – reverse conversion of the signal from the optical medium to copper is implemented in hotel buildings by TERRA OD-005P R81760 optical nodes. The maximum signal level at the output of the node is 107 dBµV. In each hotel building, the DVB-T2 signal (including 6 terrestrial TV multiplexes) and satellite programs (8 multiplexes) are distributed to the corresponding TV sets, while maintaining the appropriate signal quality.
With the use of single-mode fiber optics and appropriate transmodulators, the system ensures reliable and high-quality distribution of DVB-T/T2 signals throughout the hotel complex. Such a solution does not require the installation of additional satellite receivers at TV sets.
Access to a garbage shed using Hikvision's DS-K1T805MBWX terminal.
At apartment blocks, there is always a place where garbage cans are stored. Often these are garbage sheds or a separate space in the building. Such places are usually locked, in order to prevent outsiders from dropping off garbage. When using such a solution, it should be borne in mind that every tenant should have a key, while the cylinder lock is a mechanical component that, with a large number of users, quickly wears out and should be replaced. An excellent solution in such a case is to use an access control terminal instead of a traditional door lock.The diagram below shows the DS-K1T805MBWX G76256 access control terminal from Hikvision. Connected to the terminal are a HARTTE XS00U G74236 electric strike from Bira and a local opening button mounted inside the shed, which allows the electric strike to be released and to exit if the door is closed. A 12 V DC M1825 power supply with a maximum current of 5 A is used to power the terminal and the electric strike.
The terminal is equipped with a keypad and an RFID reader operating in the Mifare standard (13.56 MHz). Up to 3,000 users can be added to the device, whose authorization is possible by card, PIN, or using dual authorization with card and PIN. The terminal has a wired LAN interface and a wireless Wi-Fi interface. Configuration and adding users is possible via a web browser or the iVMS-4200 client application. Moreover, the terminal has an Access Point mode, which allows you to configure and add users using the WiFi interface while in range of the network. Once the device is connected to the Internet, it is possible to operate the it remotely using the HikConnect mobile application. Using a fixed external IP address and port forwarding, operation and configuration of the terminal is possible via the Internet from anywhere. The device has a memory of 10,000 events, where such information as user authorizations are stored.
Access to a garbage shed using the DS-K1T805MBWX G76256 Hikvision terminal.
Outdor UTP twisted-pair cable.
Category 5e UTP (Unshielded Twisted Pair) cable is a type of network cable used in telecommunications systems and computer networks, especially for Ethernet data transmission. This twisted pair is characterized by specific properties that allow it to be used in demanding outdoor conditions.Technical specifications:
- category 5e (Enhanced Category 5):
- supports bandwidth up to 1000 Mbps (Gigabit Ethernet).
- optimized to reduce crosstalk and electromagnetic interference compared to regular Category 5
- UTP design:
- unshielded cable, which means no additional shielding to counteract interference
- internal cable pairs are twisted to minimize external interference (known as crosstalk)
- suitable for ambient conditions:
- outer protective coating that is resistant to weather conditions, such as:
- UV radiation
- humidity and rain
- extreme temperatures
- conductor material:
- all twisted-pair cables offered by DIPOL have copper conductors
Category 5e UTP outdoor twisted pair cable is a solution suitable for most typical outdoor networking applications, combining good performance, environmental resistance and affordability.
How to connect an IP camera when the network cable is missing?
The installation of cameras or other IP PoE devices in places where only 2 wires are available for transmission and power supply and the replacement of the existing wiring is impossible or uneconomical, can be done using special ETH10-2wire-SET J2842 converters.The idea of using ETH10-2wire-SET J2842 converters – PoE power and data transmission in 2 wires of the cable
The module on the DVR side of the ETH10-2wire-TX is powered from any PoE switch (RJ45 port) and allows bi-directional network communication and powering the ETH10-2wire-RX module along with the PoE camera via two wires of cable. Optionally, the devices can be powered via POWER screw connectors.
The maximum cable length in the 2-wire path is 1000 m (for one pair of UTP cat. 5e). The maximum range of data transmission and PoE power supply depends on the type, length and cross-section of the cables used. The stability of transmission is also affected by the presence of other wires in the cable path and additional intermediate connections. The best performance and the longest transmission range can be achieved by using two single twisted-pair cables, such as one pair of twisted-pair UTP cable.
The camera or other PoE receiver can be connected to the RJ45 port of the ETH10-2wire-RX module at the end of the line. When connecting the receiver to another switch or network adapter without PoE support, it is necessary to disable PoE power by setting the jumper on the ETH10-2wire-RX receiver accordingly.
The camera or other PoE receiver can be connected to the RJ45 port of the ETH10-2wire-RX module at the end of the line. When connecting the receiver to another switch or network adapter without PoE support, it is necessary to disable PoE power by setting the jumper on the ETH10-2wire-RX receiver accordingly.
ALCAD PR-310 5-2400 MHz 10 dB B90310 antenna amplifier is used to amplify RF/SAT signals in the 5 – 2400 MHz band. Gain value: 10 dB. Equipped with a DC pass-through with a maximum current of 500 mA. | ||
AV-315 RF/SAT adjustable attenuator with DC pass-through 5 – 2400 MHz ALCADR50315 is designed to reduce the signal level in RF/SAT systems in the 5 – 2400 MHz band. The device ensures very stable level of attenuation. It enables the passage of DC voltage with a maximum current of 500 mA and control signals of 22 kHz/DiSEqC. | ||
Monitor Hikvision DS-D5043UC (42.5", 24/7, VA, FHD, HDMI, VGA, RS232)M29131 monitor is designed for 24/7 operation in CCTV surveillance systems. The screen with a resolution of 3840 × 2160 (4k) with D-LED backlight correctly reflects colors. The image can be displayed via VGA or HDMI inputs. The monitor is suitable for mounting on a VESA bracket (200 mm × 200 mm or 400 mm × 400 mm). | ||
Worth reading
Broadcasting your own advertising channel in DVB-T2. Using an HDMI-DVB-T modulator is a very good way to introduce your own advertising channel into a TV system, especially in places where the DVB-T2 terrestrial TV system is used. You can use it to transmit your own signal (e.g., advertising signal) through regular antenna TV cables and receive it on standard TVs on the network. Modulator The HDMI-DVB-T allows you to convert an HDMI signal (e.g. from a computer, media player) into a DVB-T digital signal, which can be transmitted through the building's antenna system. TV sets receive this signal as an additional digital channel, without the need to connect devices to each screen...>>>more