In 2004 IPCOMM was already involved in the predecessor project "BLS AlpTransit - Lötschbergtunnel".
At that time IPCOMM took part in the planning and installation of a new and extensive control system.
State-of-the-art IPCOMM gateways superseded the existing hardware.
Every central control device (ZLG) of Schneider Electric (formerly Areva T&D) is connected via two RS-232 interfaces with each ipRoute gateway
to the primary ring west respectively to the primary ring east. This is an ideal combination of device and network redundancy.
ipRoute converts data between the protocols IEC 60870-5-101 and IEC 60870-5-104.
The ipConv gateways north/south automatically decide which telecontrol line is used for exchanging process data.
This is possible because of the local placement of 38 SEC2 devices within the stations.
Compared to the central placement (see predecessor project) the ipConv gateways are able to establish a connection to the other line,
if one of the two telecontrol lines fails. There is no need for redundancy switchover by the gateways what results in a temporary communication failure.
After several years the tunnel control system (TLS) was renewed.
The OPC Classic interface to the TLS of the Bergauer AG was replaced by an IEC 60870-5-104 interface.
The installed ipConv 'IDC gate' receives the catenary signals per IEC 60870-5-104, Master and passes them to the TLS as IDC Slave.
On the other hand the signals of the 0.4 kV controls are read out of the TLS per IDC protocol and passed on to the ipConv gateways
north/south and to the superordinate control station BSV Spiez per IEC 60870-5-104 protocol.
The eTerra ipConv gateways collect the data from 19 respectively 20 stations (the 0.4 kV controls are considered as one logical station).
As the eTerra HS-Management system expects one TCP port per station, 20 IEC 60870-5-104, Slave protocol stacks are used to establish independent TCP connections to each
logical station.
The communication between the ipConv gateways and the superordinate control station (BSV) is done by using IEC 60870-5-104 as before.
One gateway is active, the other passive. A connection can only be established to the active gateway.
