Retrofit automation solution delivers safe and individual sky roller experience at Belantis theme park

Aaron Blutstein 12 August 2022  

In order to make the “Götterflug” ride at Belantis theme park in Leipzig state-of-the-art, both in terms of flight experience and rider safety, the amusement park decided to modernise the existing automation solution, including the wireless link on the flying carousel. To achieve this, Belantis is relying on a complete automation solution consisting of automation technology from Pilz alongside innovative EchoRing technology from R3 Solutions.

The “Götterflug”, meaning “Flights of the Gods”, looks a little like a cross between a chairoplane and a free-fall tower, and has been a popular attraction for many years. Once passengers take their place in one of the sixteen gondolas arranged in pairs and closed the safety bar across the seat, the tower starts to move while at the same time rising telescopically in height. It’s then possible for participants to take things into their own hands in the truest meaning of the term. That’s because they can customise their flight experience using the wings attached to the seats of the sky roller – while circling safely with their feet dangling freely at a spectacular 25 metres above the ground. Maximum safety is therefore imperative and must always be “on board” as well.

Sky roller for individualists

A chain hoist pulls the rim with eight arms, at the end of each of which are two gondolas, up the tower. Once the rim has reached its final height, the arms tilt outwards at an angle of 90 degrees, so that the seats are no longer parallel but vertically one on top of the other. The steady rotation at about 50 km/h allows the gondolas to swing out by around 30 degrees. How the rest of the ride progresses depends on the courage of each individual rider: If you prefer the quiet life, you can just go round as you would on a regular chairoplane and enjoy the view. Anyone wanting a wilder ride can organise this themselves: On both sides of the seat there are small, stubby wings with controls which passengers can use to adjust the wings forwards and backwards. That allows everyone to design the flight to suit their own taste and skill.

In order to bring the ever-popular Belantis attraction up to the very latest standard in both the flight experience and passenger safety, the theme park decided to renew the existing automation solution including radio link. The goal: A modernisation, in other words a retrofit that ensures high availability at the same time. In addition, a simple visualisation solution was to make it easier to operate the system. Another key requirement of the operator, Belantis, was to find a low-cost and rapidly deliverable retrofit solution so that guests would have to do without the attraction for as little time as possible.

All-encompassing retrofit approach

The retrofit for the Götterflug – entailing the complete integration of the system, from planning the hardware through the visualisation all the way to commissioning – was handled by the automation developer, Pilz. The previous “old” Pilz solution based around the safety controller PSS 3000 plus all existing functions has been replaced by the automation system PSS 4000 – combined with the decentralised I/O system PSSuniversal, the existing programming was restored to meet TÜV requirements and a safe radio link – between the tower and the base, or arms and control cabinet – was realised with new components. The high communication demands, i.e. spatially variable communication paths in a functionally safe application, also had to be taken into account. To ensure that the stringent communication requirements of this application could be implemented optimally, however, Pilz brought R3 Solutions, a Berlin specialist in cable-free data transfer, on board. The EchoRing wireless technology it has developed guarantees safe radio transmission of the data from the real-time Ethernet SafetyNET p from Pilz.

Safely monitored, carefree flight experience

In the Götterflug, the programmable logic controller PSSuniversal PLC of the automation system PSS 4000 handles the entire ride, from closing and locking the seat bars through rotating the tower to monitoring the limit positions of the arms. In addition, coded safety switches PSENcode ensure that the arms are monitored as they return to their starting or home position. When the operator of the Götterflug presses the start buttons on the control panel, this sets off a defined and highly automated sequence of movements. Wherever programmable software controls all the drives and movements, however, there must also be an intelligent safety system in the background which monitors compliance with the specified movements, speeds and status conditions and checks that the accelerated flying gondolas maintain their course.

PSS 4000 manages all control technology tasks in the central control cabinet of the Götterflugs: Above and beyond monitoring all sensors and the resulting behaviour of the actuators, the automation system constantly supplies the control and visualisation terminal of the PMIvisu v8-Series, also from Pilz, with information by means of OPC-UA technology. PSS 4000 does not miss either a safety-relevant movement or a safety-critical status on the Götterflug. It starts right at the beginning: The lifting movement must not exceed a specified speed and the gondolas must not tilt into their vertical flight condition until the arms have reached their defined end position. How heavy is the strain on the chain hoist as the tower accelerates? Does its rotational speed stay below the maximum permitted value? Does the hydraulic pressure lie between the defined minimum and maximum value? These and other security checks are run throughout the whole flight phase and are completed within fractions of a second. The passenger is oblivious to the whole thing.

Safe data transfer by radio the basis for a safe ride

What happens, though, if the automation system PSS 4000 ever detects a safety-related deviation from the norm during the process? In this case the system is immediately brought into a safe state. Emergency stop buttons are installed at relevant positions so that the ride can be stopped manually. What is different about the Götterflug: The EchoRing installed is a highly reliable, real time-capable wireless system from R3 Solutions that ensures safe data transfer in both directions when combined with the real-time Ethernet SafetyNET p, enabling the safe exchange of signals between the arms attached to the rotating tower and the programmable logic controller PSSuniversal PLC in the automation system. The real-time Ethernet-Protocol SafetyNET p allows all failsafe and standard data to be collected and transferred safely. EchoRing ensures that the necessary radio transmission between the tower and the arms functions smoothly.

EchoRing is transparent to the end devices themselves and behaves largely like a conventional cable solution – only without cables. This allows different, also safety-related applications to be realised wirelessly, as in the case of the SafetyNET p application of Leipzig’s Götterflug. The wireless solution has key infrastructural advantages over conventional sliding contact systems positioned on the turntable, which are subject to wear: the distance and place of installation remain flexible.

Heat and cold as a challenge

A new challenge for the EchoRing was to overcome the temperatures that occur. Although the EchoRing devices from R3 are already IP65 specified, the direct sunlight experienced in the theme park can lead to very high temperatures. As installed in the Götterflug, therefore, the EchoRing Ethernet bridges are accommodated in special metal housings that not only protect the devices, but also serve as passive cooling. The antennae are led outside.

Robustness also has a role to play in terms of visualisation: This, and the diagnostics of the system, is handled by the operating and visualisation system PMI from Pilz, the robustness of which makes it particularly suitable for this application. Finally, the solution package also includes the non-contact coded safety switches PSENcode from Pilz. These ensure that the positions of the arms on the rim are detected safely.

Rapid modification, enjoyment assured

The modifications went on “behind the scenes”, practically unnoticed by visitors to the park: despite the retrofit measures there were virtually no restrictions to operation. That’s because the migration of the components did not present any significant changes in terms of TÜV requirements, and the programming of the new controller could be carried out immediately. There was no need for a new process to certify conformity, as the existing CE marking remained valid. A delighted Michael Heese, technical manager at Belantis, commented: “We are extremely happy that there were hardly any restrictions for our visitors and that the ride continues to run safely and reliably.”