The success story - Through space and time with CODESYS
A very special attraction awaits young and old at the Ravensburger Spieleland amusement park near Lake Constance: the "World of memory®". What is a fantastic immersive journey into exotic worlds for the guests is a complex and highly innovative automation solution in the background - developed and implemented by the Aufwind Group, largely controlled by CODESYS.
An elevator that goes beyond all dimensions.
Before the actual journey begins, guests are guided through parts of a memory® factory in the pre-ride area. Passing the mascots Mix and Flip as Pepper's Ghost and the historic memory® machine, guests enter an elevator that appears to travel in all six directions thanks to a sophisticated illusion. Equipped with full-surface screens as side and roof windows and a moving floor panel controlled by CODESYS, the elevator car travels rapidly through an industrial steampunk-style memory® factory.
Wild ride: movement, play and effects perfectly coordinated
Finally, guests exit the elevator and take their seats in the heart of the attraction: four-seater carriages with individual sound systems and a joystick for each seat. Each carriage is a self-sufficient unit, equipped with its own CODESYS-based PLC from Berghof Automation. The control system performs a number of important tasks: Powerful drives on each carriage ensure a safe and realistic ride experience with precisely coordinated turning, lifting, shaking and tilting movements - the latter up to 30° from the horizontal. Additional CODESYS-controlled drives move the carriages running on rails through various themed worlds.
This is where one advantage of CODESYS as a control platform comes into its own: depending on requirements, different communication protocols and devices can be used in the same CODESYS project without much effort: For example, communication with the drives from Mattke and Metronix is largely via CANopen, and increasingly also via EtherCAT.
In addition to the drives, LIDAR sensors can also be easily integrated via CODESYS, which ensure the right distance between the individual carriages at all times. Even the joysticks, which passengers use to compete against each other in memory® games during regular operation, can be connected to the drive control system via CODESYS in order to initially teach the carriages.
Seat belt buckles specially developed by Aufwind provide additional safety for passengers. The integrated buckle monitoring system is directly linked to the CODESYS application so that a ride is only possible if all passengers are securely buckled up.
CODESYS controls the senses
Finally, the adventure starts and takes the passengers on several stops in giant worlds, to Egypt, Japan, Canada and even to primeval dinosaur worlds. The route and position of each carriage is precisely controlled by CODESYS. Partition walls between the worlds are automatically opened and closed by CODESYS.
Aufwind has come up with something special to match each themed world: CODESYS activates special effects such as flashing lights, fans or humidifiers to create real wind, fog and rain, precisely coordinated with the multimedia content played. A highlight here is the scenting of the scenes, which is also controlled by CODESYS. For example, the scent of cherry blossoms in Japan puts a smile on guests' faces, the smell of mustiness in the pyramids makes them wrinkle their noses, the scent of the forest in Canada makes them relax or a hint of jungle and the smell of dinosaurs takes them back to times long past. CODESYS not only controls the system on site, but also the guests' senses.
Synchronized down to the last detail
A central challenge at the World of memory® is the perfect synchronization of carriage movements, 32K video, sound and game elements. Media servers control the video projections and count each frame individually to ensure precise coordination. Thanks to CODESYS, real-time critical control tasks, such as the triggering of movements or special effects, can be reliably implemented locally in the carriages.
To meet the challenge of data transmission in a moving ride, Aufwind developed an innovative 2-wire Ethernet solution via the rail system. Together with a 400 V power supply that also runs over it, this creates a compact yet powerful communication infrastructure. Real-time data from the control system, game and media servers run in parallel via this connection - further proof of the flexibility of CODESYS when integrating individual network solutions. To prevent unauthorized tapping or manipulation of communication via the open rail system, CODESYS also offers the option of securely encrypting all communication.
Efficiently managed and monitored
To ensure that the ride runs smoothly, service personnel can monitor the status of the system and operate its functions at any time. The CODESYS WebVisu is the central element here. It is used to graphically display all important system data from carriages and additional controls on a dashboard in an HTML5-capable web browser. This enables quick access for maintenance purposes or troubleshooting.
Thanks to the connection to the CODESYS Automation Server, CODESYS WebVisus can also be accessed from anywhere via the Internet, without any additional configuration or tools - naturally access-protected and via encrypted communication at all times. The Automation Server can also be used to roll out application changes or functional updates centrally and efficiently to all trolleys at the same time. This allows Aufwind's developers to import new features or bug fixes into the system within minutes - with a single mouse click.
If required, the CODESYS Automation Server even provides remote access to all connected controllers via the CODESYS Development System, the IDE from CODESYS. Debugging in the source code, setting breakpoints, accessing the file system of the controllers or reading out the device log is therefore possible from any location, which significantly reduces response times and travel costs.
Conclusion: CODESYS - the invisible engine behind the magic
What young and old experience as an exciting adventure in Ravensburger Spieleland is the result of sophisticated control technology in the background. Aufwind and CODESYS ensure that every movement, every effect and every game interaction mesh seamlessly. This makes the World of memory® an impressive example of modern, flexible and efficient automation in the amusement park sector, which arouses emotions, tells stories and transports its guests to other worlds. Automation that is really fun!