Bosch installs intrusion alarms at UNESCO World Heritage Site in China

Bosch Building Technologies has installed an intrusion alarm system at the UNESCO World Heritage Site: the Mausoleum of Qin Shihuangdi in the city of Xi'an, China. Several hundred TriTech motion detectors are deployed to protect the 16,300-square-foot museum against theft and damage.

These detectors prevent costly and time-consuming false alarms under challenging environmental conditions while providing detection reliability of real alarms. Because of the highly efficient intrusion detection system, the museum can dispense entirely with physical protective barriers such as glass walls, allowing visitors to directly experience their clay heroes.

“The cooperation with Bosch is an excellent showcase of modern high-tech protection of historic buildings. Bosch intrusion alarm systems help to upgrade the security level of these unique historic sites,” says Ren Xuxin, Project Manager of Xi’an Terracotta Warriors and Horses Pit Security Upgrade Project.

Intelligent alarms protect millennia-old warriors

As wall detectors, the TriTech motion detectors protect the pits where the terracotta warriors are located. Because these pits collect large amounts of dust that could cause false alarms, the intelligent sensor data fusion algorithm in each of the rugged detectors checks potential alarms with a PIR sensor and microwave Doppler radar for a consistent result. The area to be protected is thereby also secured from above by ceiling-mounted TriTech motion detectors.

These detectors are located 4.8 metres above the museum floor, yet operate accurately and reliably. They thus exceed the range of standard ceiling detectors by more than two metres.

The TriTech motion detectors provide round-the-clock protection for the museum

In the event of a security breach, the Bosch G-Series system controller sends an alert, including the location of the triggered detector, in less than two seconds to the security team in the control room, which uses live images from a video system to verify the alarm.

Round-the-clock protection

In most cases, tourists trigger an alarm when they cross a threshold to retrieve their cameras or smartphones that have accidentally fallen into the pit. In doing so, there is a risk of damage to the terracotta warriors, but even if real criminals should ever get into the act, the system is ready.

The TriTech motion detectors provide round-the-clock protection for the museum. Due to their discreet design, the detectors are unobtrusive and thus do not interfere with the museum experience.

In accordance with the museum operator's list of requirements, the intrusion detection system protects not only the museum, including the perimeter, as well as the visitor areas of the mausoleum but additionally the cultural treasures currently stored in the unmanned warehouse.