Case study: Scandisign AS brings traffic safety to a higher level.   

“Projects would be lost if it wasn’t for the Anybus technology”
says Mr Håkon Sahlsten, Managing Director at Scandisign AS.

SITUATION: One of Scandisign AS customers required a lane closing sign with Profibus communication for a tunnel project in Oslo. Scandisign AS turned to HMS authorized distributor in Norway, AD Elektronikk in order to help them out with a flexible, slim and cost efficient solution.

SOLUTION: AD Elektronikk chose to integrate Anybus-IC into the sign to handle the Profibus communication.

RESULT: The Anybus-IC gave Scandisigns AS signs a quick, safe, slim and flexible road to the final product.

In Detail
Scandisign, a member of the Norway based company SafeRoad Group, is one of the leading
suppliers of LED-based traffic signs and energy effective illuminated signs for multi-storey car
parks and airports. Their customers often require products with various ways of communication. By integrating Anybus-IC in their traffic signs they have made sure that they have a short time to market and a flexible solution that runs smoothly.

A fruitful co-operation
Time to market is very important for Scandisign AS, as they must be able to show their customers that they are able to deliver what their customers want within the time provided. So when the need
for a sign with Profibus communication came up Scandisign had to find a solution quickly. The final products were to be used in“Festningstunnelen”, an underground tunnel in central Oslo.

Scandisign initiated a co-operation with AD Elektronikk. As AD Elektronikk had used the Anybus-IC technology in previous projects they could quickly develop and design a solution including
this, a regulator, a switch and a micro controller. They then integrated the whole thing on Scandisign’s already existing printed circuit board. The board was then sent to Scandisigns own manufacturer
for final production. More than 500 circuit boards with Anybus-IC are used in the tunnel today.

Two for one
A few months later Scandisign AS had a new requirement from their customer: They now needed connectivity over Ethernet/ Modbus TCP instead of Profibus. Scandisign AS could now fully
understand the flexibility of the Anybus solution. Within a few weeks they were up and running with the new connectivity.

AD Elektronikk solved this new way of communicating by designing a second circuit board that was placed on top of the existing board, a so called piggy back. The Anybus-IC and the Ethernet RJ45 connector were placed on the carrier and then connected to the main board. They also made minor updates of the firmware to handle both Profibus and Ethernet. In this way the same main board is used for both communication solutions. Today in order to make the product even cheaper to produce AD Elektronikk works on redesigning the circuit board which will give a better solution and give
more flexibility to the signs.

About Scandisign AS
Scandisign AS is a member of the SafeRoad Group. Scandisign AS was established 1998 and has today become one of Norway’s largest suppliers of LED-based traffic signs and illuminated signs for
multi-storey car parks and airports. All their products are in-house developed and then externally produced by co-operation partners.

SafeRoad Group is a leading supplier of products and solutions for traffic safety. The group has 1.500 employees in 10 countries. Their business comprises many solutions - such as road signs, technical
products, road marking, roadway illumination, road railings, rock and tunnel securing. SafeRoad is also a supplier of marine systems, balcony systems and street furniture.

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