Robust encoders control the roof at Wembley Stadium
February 2008
Sensors & Transducers
The Wembley Stadium in London is known around the world primarily as a venue for football matches. The old stadium was demolished, completely rebuilt and then reopened as the National Stadium. Its 90 000 seats and 133 metre arch make it the largest stadium in the world with a movable roof. The highest demands with regard to reliability and safety were made on the mechanisms of the seven large sections that make up the roof construction. They have to be able to move in or out immediately, depending on changes in the weather, sometimes after considerable periods at standstill.
The positioning drive on a roof section
Each of the seven roof sections is moved by planetary geared motors through a rack and pinion transmission. The motor control loops use rotary encoders from Baumer Hübner GmbH. The rotary encoder specialists manufactured a robust sensor combination, specially for this outdoor application, which combines an absolute encoder (13-bit, single-turn/16-bit multiturn) and two independently operated centrifugal switches on a common shaft. The sensor combination monitors the correct positioning of the entire roof and ensures smooth running of the positioning motors fixed to each section. The redundantly implemented speed monitoring ensures that the maximum permissible speed of movement is never exceeded. Heavy duty encoders from Baumer Hübner GmbH are also found in other stadia and outdoor installations where toughness and reliability are demanded.
For more information contact Elquip Solutions, +27 (0)11 826 7117, [email protected], www.elquip.co.za
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