IP technology makes intercom more flexible

Digital intercom and PA system for small to medium-sized industrial facilities uses innovative IP intercom technology from Barix
Neumann Elektronik has developed a new IP-based digital intercom and PA system for small to medium-sized industrial facilities that require functional flexibility. The innovative DS-6 IP intercom system enables two-way communication with excellent voice bandwidth, combining system reliability with economy by using innovative IP intercom technology from Barix.
The unique combined intercom/PA system integrates analogue intercom call stations on the outside with digital IP intercom call stations on the inside.

This means that the extended range and cables of the outside intercom call stations are retained.

The intercom call stations already in place can continue to be used without any new cabling.

That means a short planning phase and rapid commissioning for smaller systems, with low investment costs.

In the DS-6 system, the integrated Barix IP audio components take care of network communications and control of the terminal circuits from Neumann Elektronik.

Decentralised intelligence guarantees high fault tolerance, because each intercom call station acts independently without the need to be switched through a central exchange.

That makes the DS-6 system eminently suitable for intercom systems with up to 250 subscribers in all areas of industry.

The decision by Neumann to integrate the IP audio module from Barix into its IP intercom system went in favour of Barix for several reasons: 'To carry out the complex and sophisticated control tasks in our intercom and PA equipment, we needed an efficient basic module that can cover our requirements with software solutions to as great a degree as possible'.

'We were looking for an innovative product with an attractive price/performance ratio, and particular features such as short latency times for digital voice transmission and short connection times', explains Frank Konrad, Managing Director of ms Neumann Elektronik.

'Direct access to the developers at Barix proved to be particularly productive in the course of the project'.

In addition to its intercom and PA applications, the DS-6 system also offers the option to be used as an emergency warning system.

The first companies to use it include BASF and other leading industrial enterprises.

The DS-6 IP intercom system is arranged using an Ethernet network (LAN).

The system is composed of one or more control and monitoring stations (indoor digital desktop call stations) for the operation and supervision of the system, and it uses slide-in analogue interface modules an I/O modules to integrate external devices (such as sensors and actuators) into the system.

Corresponding to the needs of the facility, call stations, amplifiers and gate/door intercoms can be connected to the system via the analogue interface modules, and output devices (such as strobe lights) and sensors can be connected via the I/O modules.

The software is located in the digital intercom stations and the slide-in interface modules of the analogue intercom call stations and amplifiers.

The functions of the stations are determined by the configuration in the intelligent units.

This 'decentralised distributed intelligence' of the DS-6 system excludes any 'single point of failure', and simultaneously represents innovative IP intercom technology: as the communication connections are handled by a distributed exchange software application that runs parallel on each of the call station clients, the subscribers contact one another directly.

Each call station is thus able to act independently in accordance with its individual configuration without having to communicate with a central exchange.

analogue call stations are connected to the system via slide-in interface modules, and digital call stations are connected directly through a network switch; no other central exchange or control modules are required.

Each of the slide-in interface modules and each of the digital intercom call stations integrate a Barix IP audio module.

It is responsible for the co-ordination of all the functions, converting the audio signal into a digital stream and passing this on to the other units, where it converts the stream back into an audio signal and sends it to the call stations - all this virtually in real time.

The technology also offers extremely short connection times from the moment the button is pushed (significantly below 0.1s).

High system reliability of the DS-6 IP intercom system is realised with a redundant bus system.

Periodic life-check and functional-check messages monitor the proper functioning of the system, thus enabling possible faults to be detected immediately and signalled at the control station.

The system is configured as a redundant system using a second Ethernet LAN bus system in order to completely eliminate the possibility of a 'single point of failure'.

When the system is switched on, it powers up again in approximately 10s and is immediately ready for action.

The innovative IP intercom technology guarantees excellent speech quality and fast transmissions: the communication bandwidth from 100Hz to 10kHz ensures very good speech quality.

Also, the system offers good intelligibility even in extremely noisy and/or acoustically problematical zones.