Test method for decentralized rail traffic management systems using the example of virtually coupled train formations

Dipl.-Ing. Ulf Herbst, Dipl.-Ing. Ulrich Bock, Institut fr Elektrische Messtechnik Technical University (TU) of Braunschweig Hans-Sommer-Str. 66, D- 38106 Braunschweig, Germany Phone: +49-531-391-3856, Fax: +49-531-391-5768 e-mail: u.herbst@tu-bs.de

Motivation of virtually coupled train formations Todays situation in European freight traffic can be characterized as tending from rail to road transport. More and more costumers prefer to have their goods transported on the road, although road capacity has already been reached. Main reasons for this trend lie in technical and logistic aspects, which results in economical unattractivity of rail transport. For instance, rail operation concepts such as signalling follow a long tradition and do not consequently make use of modern technologies and still use block systems. Even modern approaches , e.g. Moving Block or Radio based Signalling, follow these principle. Increasing capacity on a block system operated track on the one hand means to run more trains per time and extend the train length on the other. The second aspect contradicts with many costumers demands, as preparation time for building long train also increases. This concept can only work properly on long branchless railroads transporting high amounts of cargo from a common source to a common destination. Regarding the described situation, rail freight traffic in comparison to road transport turns out to have the following weak points : Low flexibility and costumer orientation in dispatching and operation management Low average velocity due to low scheduled priority in comparison to person transport and low capacity due to the block system Long term preparation and combination of freight trains Less flexibility in adapting to the costumers production concept (individually changing amounts of payload, small amounts of payload, )

For this reason, new operation concepts have to be considered regarding the costumers demands as well as the topological structure of the railroad net. Idea of virtually coupled train formations To eliminate the classic disadvantages of rail traffic, the idea of Virtually Coupled Train formations (VCT) using independent train modules, came up.[1][2] This means that trains use passive railroads as flexibly as cars and trucks are currently using roads. So, ideally every train module would have its own propulsion system and would therefore be an intelligent, autonomous train module. By means of electronic data transmission these trains would drive one behind the other in a minimal distance as short as mechanically coupled cars. The train modules leave the formation automatically when they reach a junction or join the formation when they approach to one.

It is not necessary to stay within the limit of absolute breaking distance if every train module in the VCT has got the same and within the system known technical parameters (weight, acceleration) and the same information (course of the railroad, obstacles) as the first train module of the formation. Approaching a danger point, the single train modules of the VCT would have to keep at least absolute breaking distance. Every single module of the VCT itself would determine on which track it is going to continue its way to its destination.

communication

communication

train module 1

train module 2

train module 3

Figure 1: VCT composed of 3 train modules

Demonstrator In order to verify the functions of the VCT a hardware demonstrator was realized. For it a model railway in a scale of 1:22,5 has been chosen and modified[5]. (Figure 2).

Figure 2 : Demonstrator for VCTs Sensors : For position detection , a location module consisting in a light barrier and an incremental encoder was realized. In combination with a electronic route map, a semi continuous self location is possible, as the light barrier detect marks on the track for absolute location position determination and the encoder measures covered distances.

Actuators : The basic demand on the demonstrator is to realize a behaviour which is realistic as possible. Therefore, it was necessary to transform the behaviour and dynamics of real trains into the model train. A regulation was developed, which enables the model to move with different vehicle profiles, e.g. specific freight trains. The model propulsion unit was realized by a self made circuit board including a micro controller as the processing unit. Communication : The demonstrator is equipped with a communication unit realized by a self designed circuit board including a micro controller connected to three independent DECT modules. An additional GSM integration is in progress. As there are integrated several receivers and transmitters, the feasibility of a point to multipoint connection is given. Control technology : To distribute the jobs of the control technology to the module trains, a autonomous control unit is needed. For this reason, a processing unit based on a PC 104 module managed by a realtime operating system was put onto the train. It runs the operation control algorithm and makes decisions based on the information gathered from the other components, which are connected by serial ports Implementation The design and afterwards implementation of the VCT concept can be structured into several temporally successive steps. First a simulation of the overall system was done. After the fundamental functionality of the concept could be shown with a simulation [2], the next step of the implementation, the simulation of the subsystems, has been started. Therefore, the entire system was structured, analysed and divided into several parts[3]. The following step of the implementation is the production of C-program code out of the simulation of the parts of the system. With the used software tools, e.g. Matlab/Simulink, it is possible to produce automatically C-code for different hardware platforms. For the final functional proof of the system this program code shall be implemented into the hardware of the demonstrator.
simulation of the subsystems
communication

code generation out of the subsystems

C-Code communication

simulation of the overall system

distance regulation

C-Code dist. regulation

integration in hardware
propulsion regulation C-Code prop. regulation

...

C-Code ...

validation

validation

validation

Figure 3: The implementation steps

Some problems are associated with the integration of the several parts of C-code - A debugging is problematically, because the demonstrator is a moving vehicle. - For demonstrating basic scenarios of VCT, e.g. coupling or sharing of formations, a minimum of three trains is required. So the possibility of different incompatible software versions is given. - To load the trains with a new software version costs time. In consideration of these problems a test bed for decentralized traffic systems has been created. In contrast to the test of conventional systems which are centrally organized, the test of a distributed system has to be clearly different. The main difference is that the test of an independent element is not sufficient to estimate the total system, because an independent process is influenced by another independent process of the same source code (Figure 4). This additional problem of testing the functions of the VCT leads to the following test environment.

Figure 4: Test of central and distributed systems Test environment for decentralized traffic systems The test of the distributed system is carried out in two successive steps. First, a centrally organized system is realized, which is already partitioned as required for later distribution. The central approach has the advantage of an easy debugging, while following the object oriented structure ensures. After all model properties have been simulated in software and tested with the central setup, the model components are distributed among a network with the advantage of detecting timing problems under realtime conditions (Figure 5).

Figure 5 : Test environment for VCTs In November 2000 a fully automated cargo handling with a VCT and a lorry was demonstrated on the world congress on intelligent systems (ITS) in Torino.

References [1] Mindel, K. : Improvement of line capacity by using relative braking distance for train operation a concept for the future ?, VDI-Berichte Nr. 1392, Stuttgart, Germany, 1998 [2] Bock, U., Varchmin, J.-U. : Enhancement of the occupancy of railroads using virtually coupled train formations, World Congress on Railway Research (WCRR) 1999, Tokyo, Japan 1999 [3] Bicker, G., Bock, U. : Design and Development of a Future Train Concept- Virtually Coupled Train Formations, 9th IFAC Symposium on Transportation Systems, Braunschweig, Germany 2000 [4] Bock, U., Varchmin J.-U. : Drahtlose Kommunikation zwischen Zugeinheiten zum Fahren in minimalem Abstand beim Betrieb virtueller Zugverbnde, VDI Tagung Gesamtverkehrsforum 2000, Braunschweig, Germany 2000 [5] Knig S., Herbst, U. : Virtually Coupled Train Formations an approach for enhancing freight rail traffic , World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) 2001, Sydney, Australia 2001 :