Kaba Gallenschütz: applying different sensor technologies to detect unauthorised movement. Thousands of air passengers pass through Kaba one-way interlocks every day. These special barriers guard the sensitive boundary between the airside and landside areas of airports while still allowing an efficient flow of people from one side to the other. But what happens if someone tries to go through in the wrong direction?

All international airports contain a very special boundary: the one that separates the secure airside from the publicly accessible landside area. Landside is where you find ticket and check-in counters, while airside is where the heavily-controlled flight operations take place. Consequently, the crossing point between one zone and the other is always very sensitive.

Many European airports, including Frankfurt, Geneva, Copenhagen and Manchester, use Orthos PIL-M02 one-way interlocks to control the flow of passengers, ensuring that incoming guests can only pass from airside to landside, but not the other way. The sensor system built into the interlocks immediately recognises if someone is going in the wrong direction and triggers an audible alarm. At the same time, the interlock doors lock automatically.

Product Manager Andreas Nöltner says “Kaba’s sophisticated sensor system creates a very effective barrier. It stops unauthorised people going airside”.

Three Is Better than One

Three different recognition technologies can be employed. Depending upon the requirements, the standard solution can be expanded with one or two additional sensor technologies, the activation of which will immediately lock the doors. The standard model utilises microwave direction recognition, a radar system that, however, cannot on its own absolutely guarantee secure detection.

In theory, a very large passenger could obscure the detection area while another person passes unnoticed in the opposite direction. With the addition of the new thermal imaging technology provided by infrared sensors fitted to the ceiling of the unit, the radar detection system is supported and detection of unauthorised movement improved. These optical sensors are sensitive to the direction of movement and can tell when a person crosses the virtual security threshold in the wrong direction.

At a third level, extended optical recognition is provided by the addition of video technology to the basic radar system. The direction-sensitive optical sensor enables the most secure recognition yet of airline passengers. This technology allows the operator to choose the detection area, and a matrix is employed to define the direction.

Contact:

Kaba Gallenschütz GmbH,
Bühl, Germany
Tel.: +49 7223 286 259
bamodia@kgb.kaba.com
www.kaba-gallenschuetz.de