ABSTRACT

The speed and the overall loading of a train are of great importance in
determining whether the entire train is running in a safe and stable manner. We
present here our work in developing a wireless rail monitoring system using IoT
(Internet-of-Things) sensors and edge computing to provide accurate real-time
running state parameters of trains continuously over time. By placing a wireless
MEMS-based sensing system (overall size of 50×50×17 mm) on a rail to collect
the vibration information of the rail under excitation by the wheels of passing
trains, and by using edge computing technique to analyze these captured
vibration data, we calculated the state parameters of the vehicle with the
microprocessor integrated with the MEMS sensors. Then, the final analysis
results were uploaded to a cloud server via Narrow Band Internet-of-Things
(NB-IoT) networks. The entire system consists of a solar power module, a cloud
server, and an IoT sensor. Compared with traditional train state detection
systems (i.e., computer vision or IR detectors) this system has the advantages of
low cost, self-powering, and no line occupation. We have demonstrated that 24-
hour real-time wireless monitoring without occupation of track resources is
feasible using this system, which greatly improves the efficiency and quality of
railway track detection. We conducted field experiments on the Datong-
Qinhuangdao Railway line using our system. Experimental results showed that
the absolute error in speed is 0.2 Km/h and no error in carriages quantity
detection. It is expected to play a key role in the real-time monitoring of
railways and trains in the future.

Index Terms—Train parameters, NB-IoT, edge computing, real-time

monitoring, rail vibration
 CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 OVERVIEW OF THE PROJECT

RAILWAYS is a key mass transportation method in China, i.e., the total

number of passengers using train transportation in China in 2019 was about 583
times the total using air transportation [1], [2]. According to the Railway
Statistics Bulletin 2019 issued by the Ministry of Transport of the People's
Republic of China, the total number of railway passenger transport in mainland
China was 3.660 billion, and AILWAYS is a key mass transportation method in
China, i.e., the total number of passengers using train transportation in China in
2019 was about 583 times the total using air transportation [1], [2]. According
to the Railway Statistics Bulletin 2019 issued by the Ministry of Transport of
the People's Republic of China, the total number of railway passenger transport
in mainland China was 3.660 billion, and increase the cost of the system and
consume a lot of power, not to mention the failure to realize real-time
monitoring on a long-term basis.
Compared with non-contact methods, contact methods have the
advantages of high precision and many detection parameters. Under a contact
method, facilities along the railway, such as rails and fasteners, need to be in
direct contact with the testing equipment for diagnosis and monitoring [14]. In
this regard, the mainstream monitoring equipment is the track inspection car.
However, this method is not only costly and time-consuming, but also requires
that railway transport be stopped before detection [7]. To overcome this
problem, other researchers have tried other methods such as RFID and inertial
sensors. A. K. Gupta et al. [15] introduced a railcar detection system based on
RFID technology for detecting train running state parameters such as path. T.X.
Mei et al. [16] proposed to extract specific motion characteristics (including
speed of the wheelset) from the inertial sensors mounted on the bogie frame by
tracking the excitation through the dynamic response of the vehicle/bogie. This
approach provides an accurate measurement of the vehicle's ground speed even
in wheel slip under traction or braking. Although these methods are capable of
detecting train parameters and track information, they cannot process detected
data in real-time. Moreover, the testing device is not portable and the testing
process is complicated, for which more time is consumed in each test.
Meanwhile, the rapid development of the Internet of Things (IoT) and the
popularity of MEMS sensors provide new solutions to monitor train parameters.
MEMS sensors are characterized by small size, low cost, and low power
consumption. Moreover, IoT devices are capable of data processing, and hence,
they can efficiently realize real-time data detection, processing, and output.
David Milne et al. [17] glued a geophone and a ±16 g accelerometer to the same
sleeper at a study site, where six car trains would pass by at up to 230 km/h
(~60 m/s). The acceleration and velocity of the sleeper were measured to
conduct a direct comparison between different data from the geophone and
accelerometer, thus demonstrating the repeatability and robustness of the
MEMS accelerometer under the same conditions and its potential to continuous
monitoring applications. It can be seen that this kind of low-cost techniques are
applicable to railway scenarios. Amin Suharjono et al. [18] used the
accelerometer sensor MMA7455l to measure three-axis accelerations of a rail to
detect rail vibration. Douglas Leonard Goodman et al. [19] adopted a three-axis
accelerometer to detect abnormalities with the rail or train. Eugen Berlin et al.
[20] reported the deployment of a wireless sensor network on railway tracks to
obtain the vibration mode of 186 trains, which can be used for detecting vehicle
speed, length, and other information. These methods have demonstrated the
high feasibility and robustness of MEMS sensors in railway monitoring
1.1 Proposed state-of-the Art

The presented system helps to detect the flaws in the rail track using
ultrasound testing method. When the crack is detected, respective coordinates
are

sent to the nearest station. This recording and sending of coordinates are done
by GPS and GSM module. Ultrasonic technique is the most effective method
which detects minor cracks and also calculates the growth rate of the crack. The
growth rate can be detected at regular intervals. Non-destructive system for
crack detection is implemented. One of the processes which help in the
examination of material without causing any harm is non-destructive testing
technique. NDT is a widely used method for material maintenance without
dealing with the principles of the material.

In this method, the ultrasound-waves are extensively used, due to the

various behaviors as ultrasound waves displays in various material properties.
When ultrasound wave signal propagates from one medium to another distinct
medium, a certain proportion of the signal energy propagates over to the other
medium, at the same time the remaining energy gets reflected back. The
calculated speed of the sound wave in the material to be tested is 5790 m/s. As
the mentioned the speed of the sound wave in the particular material density,
after getting the reflected signals we can measure the properties such as time
difference of arrival (TDOA). By using this time arrival we can calculate the
thickness and the flaws in the material. The flaws create gaps in the material
and make it appear as another medium due to which the waves get reflected
back.

1.2 INTERNET OF THINGS (IOT)

Internet of Things (IoT) refers to the stringent connectedness between digital

and physical world.

Various researchers have described IoT in multitude forms:

1. “a dynamic global network infrastructure with self-configuring

capabilities based on standard and interoperable communication
protocols where physical and virtual ’Things’ have identities, physical
attributes, and virtual

personalities and use intelligent interfaces, and are seamlessly integrated

into the information network” (Kranenburg, 2008).
2. “3A concept: anytime, anywhere and any media, resulting into sustained
ratio between radio and man around 1:1” (Srivastava, 2006).
3. ‘‘Things having identities and virtual personalities operating in smart
spaces using intelligent interfaces to connect and communicate within
social, environmental, and user contexts” (Networked Enterprise & RFID
& Micro & Nanosystems, 2008). The semantic meaning of ‘‘Internet of
Things” is presented as ‘‘a world-wide network of interconnected objects
uniquely addressable, based on standard communication protocols”.
4. “A global infrastructure for the information society enabling advanced
services by interconnecting (physical and virtual) things based on,
existing and evolving, interoperable information and communication
technologies” (ITU work on Internet of things, 2015).
The Internet of things (IoT) is the network of physical devices, vehicles, home
appliances and other items embedded with electronics, software, sensors,
actuators, and connectivity which enables these objects to connect and
exchange data. Each thing is uniquely identifiable through its embedded
computing system but is able to inter-operate within the existing Internet
infrastructure. The figure of online capable devices increased 31% from 2016 to
8.4 billion in 2017. Experts estimate that the IoT will consist of about 30 billion
objects by 2020. It is also estimated that the global market value of IoT will
reach $7.1 trillion by 2020.
The IoT allows objects to be sensed or controlled remotely across
existing network infrastructure, creating opportunities for more direct
integration of the physical world into computer-based systems, and resulting in
improved efficiency, accuracy and economic benefit in addition to reduced
human intervention. When

IoT is augmented with sensors and actuators, the technology becomes an

instance of the more general class of cyber-physical systems, which also
encompasses technologies such as smart grids, virtual power plants, smart
homes, intelligent transportation and smart cities.

Fig: 1.1 IoT structure

 "Things", in the IoT sense, can refer to a wide variety of devices such as
heart monitoring implants, biochip transponders on farm animals, cameras
streaming live feeds of wild animals in coastal waters, automobiles with built-in
sensors, DNA analysis devices for environmental/food/pathogen monitoring, or
field operation devices that assist firefighters in search and rescue operations.
Legal scholars suggest regarding "things" as an "inextricable mixture of
hardware, software, data and service".
These devices collect useful data with the help of various existing
technologies and then autonomously flow the data between other devices.
The term "the Internet of things" was coined by Kevin Ashton of Procter &
Gamble, later MIT's Auto-ID Center, in 1999.
The Internet of things (IoTs) can be characterized as interfacing the
different sorts of items like advanced mobile phones, PC and Tablets to web,
which gets

extremely unique kind of correspondence amongst things and individuals and

furthermore between things. With the presentation of IoTs, the innovative work
of home robotization are getting to be plainly prominent in the current days. A
large portion of the gadgets are controlled and observed for helps the
individual. Also different remote advancements help in associating from remote
spots to enhance the insight of home condition. A propelled system of IoT is
being shaped when a person need interfacing with different things. IoTs
innovation is utilized to come in with inventive thought and awesome
development for brilliant homes to enhance the expectations for everyday
comforts of life. The IoT-based design gives abnormal state adaptability at the
correspondence and data. It is an approach which is pertinent in a wide range of
conditions, for example, tolerant observing framework, security, activity flag
control or controlling different applications. The IoT extend means to draw out
the different chances of utilizing IPv6 and other related guidelines to beat the
inconveniences utilizing of the Internet of Things. The IoT ventures
demonstrates a predominant and exhaustive investigation of all sensible
functionalities, components and different conventions that can be utilized for
building IoT models however interconnections may happen between all entirely
unexpected IoT applications. As in the systems administration field, where a
few arrangements risen at his earliest stages to leave place to a typical model,
the TCP/IP convention suite, the rise of a typical reference display for the IoT
space and the distinguishing proof of reference structures can prompt a
speedier, more engaged improvement and an exponential increment of IoT-
related arrangements. These arrangements can give a vital preferred standpoint
to develop economies, as new plans of action can use those mechanical
arrangements giving space to monetary advancement.

1.3.1 IoT functional blocks

An IoT system is comprised of a number of functional blocks to facilitate

various utilities to the system such as, sensing, identification, actuation,
communication, and management presents these functional blocks as described
below.

Device: An IoT system is based on devices that provide sensing,

actuation, control, and monitoring activities. IoT devices can exchange data
with other connected devices and application, or collect data from other devices
and process the data either locally or send the data to centralized servers or
cloud based applications back-ends for processing the data, or perform some
tasks locally and other tasks within IoT infrastructure based on temporal and
space constraints (i.e. memory, processing capabilities, communication
latencies, and speeds, and deadlines). An IoT device may consist of several
interfaces for communications to other devices, both wired and wireless. These
include (i) I/O interfaces for sensors, (ii) interfaces for Internet connectivity,
(iii) memory and storage interfaces, and (iv) audio/video interfaces. IoT devices
can also be of varied types, for instance, wearable sensors, smart watches, LED
lights, automobiles and industrial machines. Almost all IoT devices generate
data in some form of the other which when processed by data analytics systems
generate leads to useful information to guide further actions locally or remotely,
For instance, sensor data generated by a soil moisture monitoring device in a
garden, when processed can help in determining the optimum watering
schedules.

1.3.2 CLOUD COMPUTING

On the other hand, cloud computing and edge computing are widely used
for processing IoT data [21]. Here, cloud computing refers to the use of a cloud
server to process a large amount of data received from the terminal device
through the IoT. In previous works [22], [23], we completed system
construction based on micro motion sensors and used the entropy theory for
detecting the looseness of rail fasteners. We analyzed the vibration data
collected by the MEMS sensor in the cloud server, and determined whether
fasteners would fall off through analyzing the frequency of rail vibration when a
train passed by. At the same time, we conducted relevant experiments to verify
the system in the detection of rail fasteners. At present, we hope to monitor
vehicle speed, rail state, and other information by detecting the acceleration of
rail vibration when a train passes by. However, the method based on MEMS
sensors often produces a large amount of data. Assuming that our three-axis
MEMS sensor has a sampling rate of 3,200 Hz and that the storage type of each
data is single-precision floating point (float), the amount of data generated per
second becomes 37.5 KB. The upstream rate of the wireless module (BC95-B8)
is only 15.625 kbps (<38.4 kbps) [24], so it is impossible to upload all the data
to the cloud server in real time. In other words, cloud computing is inapplicable
to this system without replacing the wireless module.

With the rapid development of edge computing, opportunities arise for

real-time railway monitoring. Edge computing is a distributed computing
paradigm that brings computation and data storage closer than cloud computing
to the location where it is needed, thus reducing response time and saving
bandwidth [25]. Some researchers have begun to apply edge computing to real-
time monitoring systems. For example, Zeba Idrees et al. [26] employed the
method of edge-computing based IoT to implement air quality monitoring
systems, with the purpose of reducing the computational burden of sensing
nodes (reduced by 30%), and the power consumption (reduced up to 23%). In
order to reduce network load and network delay of the centralized server in
smart home systems, Yanqin Mao et al. [27] designed a data collection and
processing scheme based on edge computing. The empirical results showed that
the data acquisition and processing scheme based on edge computing could
effectively reduce network communication. In addition, to monitor rails and
trains on a real-time basis, Jun Guo et al. [28] proposed a large vehicle tracking
method based on edge computing and feature recognition. They applied the
edge device in different spatial locations, and only uploaded the feature
information extracted from sensing data to the cloud server. Finally, the cloud
generated the trajectory by feature matching and space-time constraint. All of
these works prove that edge computing can help reduce network burden and
node power consumption, and is more suitable our railway monitoring system
than cloud computing.

IOT FRAMEWORK

IoT frameworks might help support the interaction between "things" and
allow for more complex structures like distributed computing and the
development of distributed applications. Currently, some IoT frameworks seem
to focus on real-time data logging solutions, offering some basis to work with
many "things" and have them interact. Future developments might lead to
specific software-development environments to create the software to work with
the hardware used in the Internet of things. Companies are developing
technology platforms to provide this type of functionality for the Internet of
things. Newer platforms are being developed, which add more intelligence.
RESET is a scalable architecture that allows things to communicate over
Hypertext Transfer Protocol and is easily adopted for IoT applications to
provide communication from a thing to a central web server.

1.3.4 IOT AS A NETWORK OF NETWORKS

Currently, IoT is made up of a loose collection of disparate, purpose-built

networks. Today’s cars, for example, have multiple networks to control engine
function, safety features, communications systems, and so on. Commercial and
residential buildings also have various control systems for heating, venting, and
air conditioning (HVAC); telephone service; security; and lighting. As IoT
evolves, these networks, and many others, will be connected with added
security, analytics, and management capabilities. This will allow IoT to become
even more powerful in what it can help people achieve.
Fig: 1.1 Internet as a network of networks
 CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE SURVEY

2.1 V. J. Hodge, S. O’Keefe, M. Weeks, and A. Moulds, “Wireless sensor

networks for condition monitoring in the railway industry: A survey,”
IEEE Trans. Intell. Transp. Syst., vol. 16, no. 3, pp. 1088–1106, Jun. 2015.

In recent years, the range of sensing technologies has expanded rapidly,

whereas sensor devices have become cheaper. This has led to a rapid expansion
in condition monitoring of systems, structures, vehicles, and machinery using
sensors. Key factors are the recent advances in networking technologies such as
wireless communication and mobile ad hoc networking coupled with the
technology to integrate devices. Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) can be used
for monitoring the railway infrastructure such as bridges, rail tracks, track beds,
and track equipment along with vehicle health monitoring such as chassis,
bogies, wheels, and wagons. Condition monitoring reduces human inspection
requirements through automated monitoring, reduces maintenance through
detecting faults before they escalate, and improves safety and reliability. This is
vital for the development, upgrading, and expansion of railway networks. This
paper surveys these wireless sensors network technology for monitoring in the
railway industry for analyzing systems, structures, vehicles, and machinery.
This paper focuses on practical engineering solutions, principally, which sensor
devices are used and what they are used for; and the identification of sensor
configurations and network topologies. It identifies their respective motivations
and distinguishes their advantages and disadvantages in a comparative review.

EXPERTS estimate that the railway industry will receive US$300 billion
worth of global investment for development, upgrading, and expansion over the
five years from 2009. Ollier noted that effective management of rail
infrastructure will be vital to this development, upgrading, and expansion,
particularly if coupled with

a move to intelligent infrastructure. A key part of the management will be

condition monitoring. Condition monitoring detects and identifies deterioration
in structures and infrastructure before the deterioration causes a failure or
prevents rail operations. In simple condition monitoring, sensors monitor the
condition of a structure or machinery. If the sensor readings reach a
predetermined limit or fault condition, then an alarm is activated. However, this
simplistic approach may lead to a large number of false alarms and missed
failures [36]. It only provides local analysis but does not take advantage of the
superior capabilities when the sensors are networked and their data processed
collectively. Integrated data processing allows an overall picture of an asset's
condition to be achieved and overall condition trends to be determined.

2.2 J.-S. Lee, Y.-W. Su, and C.-C. Shen, “A comparative study of wireless
protocols: Bluetooth, UWB, ZigBee, and Wi-Fi,” Proc. 33rd Annu. Conf.
IEEE Ind. Electron. Soc. (IECON), Taipei, Taiwan, Nov. 2007, pp. 46–51.

Bluetooth (over IEEE 802.15.1), ultra-wideband (UWB, over IEEE

802.15.3), ZigBee (over IEEE 802.15.4), and Wi-Fi (over IEEE 802.11) are four
protocol standards for short- range wireless communications with low power
consumption. From an application point of view, Bluetooth is intended for a
cordless mouse, keyboard, and hands-free headset, UWB is oriented to high-
bandwidth multimedia links, ZigBee is designed for reliable wirelessly
networked monitoring and control networks, while Wi-Fi is directed at
computer-to-computer connections as an extension or substitution of cabled
networks. In this paper, we provide a study of these popular wireless
communication standards, evaluating their main features and behaviors in terms
of various metrics, including the transmission time, data coding efficiency,
complexity, and power consumption. It is believed that the comparison

presented in this paper would benefit application engineers in selecting an

appropriate protocol.

In the past decades, factory automation has been developed worldwide

into a very attractive research area. It incorporates different modern disciplines
including communication, information, computer, control, sensor, and actuator
engineering in an integrated way, leading to new solutions, better performance
and complete systems. One of the increasingly important components in factory
automation is the industrial communication. For interconnection purposes, a
factory automation system can be combined with various sensors, controllers,
and heterogeneous machines using a common message specification. Many
different network types have been promoted for use on a shop floor, including
control area network (CAN), Process fieldbus (Profibus), Modbus, and so on.
However, how to select a suitable network standard for a particular application
is a critical issue to the industrial engineers. Lain et. al. evaluated the Ethernet
(carrier sense multiple access with collision detection, CSMA/CD bus),
ControlNet (token-passing bus), and DeviceNet (CSMA with arbitration on
message priority, CSMA/AMP bus) for networked control applications. After a
detailed discussion of the medium access control (MAC) sublayer protocol for
each network, they studied the key parameters of the corresponding network
when used in a control situation, including network utilization and time delays.

2.3 K. W. Lee, A. J. Correia, K.-H. Lee, B. D. J. Neilan, and S. Gregor,

“Solar energy harvesting from roadways,” in Proc. 93rd Annu. Meeting
Transp. Res. Board, Washington, DC, USA, Jan. 2014, pp. 4380-1–4380-18.

Solar Road is a pioneering innovation in the field of solar energy

harvesting. It is a unique concept, which converts sunlight on the road surface
into electricity: the road network works as an inexhaustible source of green
power. The idea behind Solar Road is simple: sunlight falling on the road
surface is absorbed by solar cells and converted into electricity – the road
surface acts as a large solar panel. The electricity generated in this way will find
practical applications in street lighting. Solar Road is being developed as
prefabricated slabs. It consists of concrete modules of 2.5 by 3.5 meters with a
translucent top layer of tempered glass, which is about 1 cm thick. Underneath
the glass are crystalline silicon solar cells. The top layer immediately shows an
important difference from the traditional road surface. It has to be translucent
for sunlight and repel dirt as much as possible. At the same time, the top layer
must be skid resistant and strong enough in order to realize a safe road surface.
This is one of the technical challenges of Sola Road.
 With the growing need for alternative energy sources, research into
energy harvesting technologies has increased considerably in recent years. The
particular case of energy harvesting on road pavements is a very recent area of
research. This paper deals with the development of energy harvesting
technologies for road pavements, identifies the technologies that are being
studied and developed, examines how such technologies can be divided into
different classes and gives a technical analysis and comparison of those
technologies, using the results achieved with prototypes. Energy harvesting is
divided into two main groups: macro energy harvesting sources, associated with
solar, wind, hydro and ocean energy; and micro-energy harvesting, associated
with electromagnetic, electrostatic, heat, thermal variations, mechanical
vibrations, acoustic and human body motion as energy sources. Macro-energy
harvesting is related to large-scale energy harvesting, usually

in the order of kilojoules or more. Micro energy harvesting is related to small-

scale energy harvesting, usually in the order of a joule or less.

2.4 G. Gatti, M. J. Brennan, M. G. Tehrani, and D. J. Thompson,

“Harvesting energy from the vibration of a passing train using a
singledegree- of-freedom oscillator,” Mech. Syst. Signal Process., vosl. 66–
67, pp. 785–792, Jan. 2016.

With the advent of wireless sensors, there has been an increasing amount
of research in the area of energy harvesting, particularly from vibration, to
power these devices. An interesting application is the possibility of harvesting
energy from the track-side vibration due to a passing train, as this energy could
be used to power remote sensors mounted on the track for structural health
monitoring, for example. This paper describes a fundamental study to determine
how much energy could be harvested from a passing train. Using a time history
of vertical vibration measured on a sleeper, the optimum mechanical parameters
of a linear energy harvesting device are determined. Numerical and analytical
investigations are both carried out. It is found that the optimum amount of
energy harvested per unit mass is proportional to the product of the square of
the input acceleration amplitude and the square of the input duration. For the
specific case studied, it was found that the maximum energy that could be
harvested per unit mass of the oscillator is about 0.25 J/kg at a frequency of
about 17 Hz. The damping ratio for the optimum harvester was found to be
about 0.0045, and the corresponding amplitude of the relative displacement of
the mass is approximately 5 mm.

This paper presents the design, modeling, lab test and field demonstration
of a railroad energy harvester featuring rapid anchorless mounting. By
harvesting energy from rail track deflections, the proposed system can be used
as an alternative

energy source along the trackside of railroads. Compared to the widely

electrified passenger rails, most freight rails are still lack of cost-effective
access of electricity because of the long haul and remoteness of the geographic
location. This paper aims to address two challenges: increase power capacity
and ease of installation. A spring preload and reset mechanism is used to
eliminate the need of anchoring the harvester into the railroad foundation,
allowing the harvester to be installed rapidly without affecting the track
substructures. A dynamic model including the AC generator, the mechanical
motion rectifier, and the spring preload is created and the design parameters are
obtained from numerical simulations. Lab and in-field tests are carried out to
verify the model and simulation. In-field test results show 7 W (average)-56 W
(peak) electrical power are generated with a freight train traveling at 64 km/h
(40 mph) under 5.7 mm deflections. The proposed harvester has the potential to
support many track-side electrical devices and serves as an alternative energy
source to enhance rail operational safety.

2.5 L. Fagiano, M. Milanese, V. Razza, and M. Bonansone, “High-altitude

wind energy for sustainable marine transportation,” IEEE Trans. Intell.
Transp. Syst., vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 781–791, Jun. 2012.

This paper investigates the use of a controlled tethered wing, or kite, for
naval transportation. Linked to a boat by light composite-fiber lines, the kite is
able to fly between 200 and 600 m above the sea and to generate high traction
forces. A mechatronic system named Kite Steering Unit (KSU) that is installed
on the boat controls the kite and converts the line speed and force into
electricity. Different from previous works, the boat is also equipped with
electric propellers so that naval propulsion can be achieved both directly, i.e.,
through the towing forces exerted by the lines, and indirectly, i.e., through the
electricity generated by the KSU that is fed

to the electric propellers via a battery pack. The optimal system operating
conditions that maximize the boat speed for the given wind characteristics are
computed. Then, a model predictive controller is designed, and numerical
simulations with a realistic model are carried out to assess the performance of
the control system against the optimal operating conditions. The results indicate
that, with this system, a completely green naval transportation system can be
obtained, regardless of the wind direction.

In the last decade, several research and development activities have been
carried out regarding novel wind power technologies that aim to convert high-
altitude wind energy (HAWE) into electricity by exploiting the flight of
controlled tethered wings or kites. These kites can fly at high speed under
“crosswind” conditions, i.e., in a direction that is roughly perpendicular to the
wind, thus generating high traction forces on the lines. Such forces are then
converted into mechanical and electrical energy by a suitable mechatronic
system placed on the ground. The studies that have been carried out so far,
including theoretical and numerical analyses, as well as experiments with small-
scale prototypes, indicate that this kind of technology, which is named
Kitenergy in this paper, could produce electricity at lower cost than fossil fuels.
This result can be achieved mainly because of much lower costs for generator
construction, higher capacity factor, and lower land occupation with respect to
the actual wind power technology, based on wind turbines.

2.6 B. Ai et al., “Challenges toward wireless communications for high-speed

railway,” IEEE Trans. Intell. Transp. Syst., vol. 15, no. 5, pp. 2143–2158,
Oct. 2014.

High-speed railway (HSR) brings convenience to peoples' lives and is

generally considered as one of the most sustainable developments for ground
transportation. One of the important parts of HSR construction is the signaling
system, which is also called the “operation control system,” where wireless
communications play a key role in the transmission of train control data. We
discuss in detail the main differences in scientific research for wireless
communications between the HSR operation scenarios and the conventional
public land mobile scenarios. The latest research progress in wireless channel
modeling in viaducts, cuttings, and tunnels scenarios are discussed. The
characteristics of nonstationary channel and the line-of-sight (LOS) sparse and
LOS multiple-input-multiple-output channels, which are the typical channels in
HSR scenarios, are analyzed. Some novel concepts such as composite
transportation and key challenging techniques such as train-to-train
communication, vacuum maglev train techniques, the security for HSR, and the
fifth-generation wireless communications related techniques for future HSR
development for safer, more comfortable, and more secure HSR operation are
also discussed.

With the fast development of high-speed railway (HSR) in the world, the
maximum train moving speed has reached nearly 575 km/h, trialed by the
French National Rail Corporation. With increased train speed, the issue of train
operation safety has attracted more and more attention. The ground
infrastructure (e.g., trackside equipment), the moving body (e.g., train), and the
signaling system are in general the three main parts contributing to the HSR
operation safety. Of these three parts, the signaling system, which is also called
the train operation control system, is the key part and is regarded as the nerve
center of the HSR system. A standard has been set up for the train operation
control system, which is known as the European
train control system (ETCS) for HSR and the communication-based train
control (CBTC) system for subway. To realize a safe operation of the HSR, a
large number of studies on intelligent transport system applications have been
conducted. In order to make the train operation control system work better,
maintaining a reliable communication link between the train and the ground,
dedicated mobile communications play a key role. Such a communications
system is called the global system for mobile communications for railway
(GSM-R), a narrow-band communication system.

2.7 K. Kwong, R. Kavaler, R. Rajagopal, and P. Varaiya, “Real-time

measurement of link vehicle count and travel time in a road network,”
IEEE Trans. Intell. Transp. Syst., vol. 11, no. 4, pp. 814–825, Dec. 2010.

A system is described that measures the vehicle count and travel time in
the links of a road network. The measurements require matching vehicle
signatures recorded by a wireless magnetic sensor network. The matching
algorithm is based on a statistical model of the signatures. The model itself is
estimated from the data. The approach is first discussed for a single-lane road
and extended to multiple-lane roads. The algorithm yields a correct matching
rate of 75% for a false matching rate of 5% and reliably estimates the number of
vehicles on each link and its travel-time distribution.

A road network is an interconnection of links, such as freeway sections,

on-and off-ramps, and urban road segments. At any time, a link has a certain
spatial occupancy or vehicle count, which is the number of vehicles in the link.
At the prevailing speed, the number of vehicles that will move from an
upstream link
depends on its vehicle count, and the number of vehicles that a downstream link
can accept is limited by the downstream link vehicle count. Thus, the state of
the road network at any time consists of the vehicle count and speed (or travel
time) in every link.

2.8 J. Zhou, C. L. P. Chen, L. Chen, and W. Zhao, “A user-customizable

urban traffic information collection method based on wireless sensor
networks,” IEEE Trans. Intell. Transp. Syst., vol. 14, no. 3, pp. 1119–1128,
Sep. 2013.

Traffic monitoring can efficiently promote urban planning and encourage

better use of public transport. Efficient traffic information collection is one
important part of traffic monitoring systems. Based on a technique using
wireless sensor networks (WSNs), this paper provides a flexible framework for
regional traffic information collection in accordance with user request. This
framework serves as a basis for future research in designing and implementing
traffic monitoring applications. A two-layer network architecture is established
for traffic information acquisition in the context of a WSN environment. In
addition, a user-customizable data-centric routing scheme is proposed for traffic
information delivery, in which multiple routing-related information is
considered for decision-making to meet different user requirements.
Simulations have shown good performance of the proposed routing scheme
compared with other traditional routing schemes on a real-world urban traffic
network.

One of the most important aspects of research in intelligent transportation

systems (ITS) is the automatic detection of the information of local traffic and
road conditions and traffic-related pollution, as well as the convenient
transmission of

this information to the user as a query response. Investment in monitoring,

collecting, and processing traffic information can promote better urban planning
and encourage better use of public transport, both of which would help to
reduce congestion and pollution. Over the last few years, research in traffic
information acquisition and propagation based on vehicular ad hoc networks
(VANETs) has been developed to improve vehicle and road safety and traffic
efficiency, as well as to reduce the negative impact of transportation on the
environment. However, most VANET-based methods assume that each vehicle
is equipped with a Global Positioning System device and preloaded digital maps
to provide location information. These requirements, including the equipment,
computation, and storage capacity, will greatly increase the cost of the traffic
information collection. Moreover, the extra endeavors for data routing in a
sparsely connected network will increase the complexity of the algorithm,
thereby reducing the practicality of the algorithm. In particular, the burst traffic
accidents will block the road, resulting in the failure of the data transfer.

2.9 T. T. Yang, Z. M. Zheng, H. Liang, R. L. Deng, N. Cheng, and X. M.

Shen, “Green energy and content-aware data transmissions in maritime
wireless communication networks,” IEEE Trans. Intell. Transp. Syst., vol.
16, no. 2, pp. 751–762, Apr. 2015.
 In this paper, we investigate the network throughput and energy
sustainability of green-energy-powered maritime wireless communication
networks. Specifically, we study how to optimize the schedule of data traffic
tasks to maximize the network throughput with Worldwide Interoperability for
Microwave Access technology. To

this end, we formulate it as an optimization problem to maximize the weight of

the total delivered data packets, while ensuring that harvested energy can
successfully support transmission tasks. The formulated energy and content-
aware vessel throughput maximize problem is proved to be NP-complete. We
propose a green energy and content-aware data transmission framework that
incorporates the energy limitation of both infostations and delay-tolerant
network throw boxes. The green energy buffer is modeled as a G/G/1 queue,
and two heuristic algorithms are designed to optimize the transmission
throughput and energy sustainability. Extensive simulations demonstrate that
our proposed algorithms can provide simple yet efficient solutions in a maritime
wireless communication network with sustainable energy.

With the advances of wireless technologies, maritime wireless

communication network is emerging as one of the important information
transmission systems. Generally, the transmissions in maritime wireless
networks can be classified into two types: terrestrial and satellite
communication. By utilizing the legacy analog high-frequency/medium-
frequency and very high frequency radios, long-range/medium-range or short-
range ship-to-shore and ship-to-ship communications near port water can be
enabled, respectively. However, such transmissions are not able to provide high
rate services. With satellite communications, i.e., Fleet Broadband, the
transmission can achieve a high data rate of up to 432 kb/s but, launching
satellites into orbits leads to prohibitive service fees. Compared with land-based
wireless communication, the maritime wireless networks suffer the much higher
costs for devices deployment, energy consumption, and maintenance of
maritime wireless networks. Therefore, it is essential to develop a

novel cost-effective wideband maritime communication network by innovative

communication technologies from land to sea.

2.10 A. Wheeler, “Commercial applications of wireless sensor networks

using ZigBee,” IEEE Commun. Mag., vol. 45, no. 4, pp. 70–77, Apr. 2007.

After around a decade of active research on wireless sensor networks,

recent standards released are stimulating the- development of commercial
products. One of these standards is ZigBee. This article highlights some of the
lessons from the field that went into the standard. It also describes the
ecosystem emerging around Zigbee, and the enabling trends in that ecosystem.
New areas of activity in the ZigBee standards body are highlighted as well
Wireless sensor networks have been an active research topic for around a
decade. The recent release of standards in the field, such as IEEE 802.15.4 and
ZigBee, brought the technology out of research labs and stimulated the
development of numerous commercial products. Moving from early research in
military applications, sensor networks now are widely deployed in diverse
applications including home automation, building automation, and utility
metering. Although many early sensor networks used proprietary routing
algorithms and RF technology, most recent products use standards-based
networking and RF solutions.

CHAPTER 3

SYSTEM ANALYSIS

3.1 EXISTING SYSTEM

• The existing system proposed a large vehicle tracking method based on

edge computing and feature recognition. They applied the edge device in
different spatial locations, and only uploaded the feature information
extracted from sensing data to the cloud server. Finally, the cloud
generated the trajectory by feature matching and space-time constraint

3.1.1 DISADVANTAGES

• The works prove that edge computing can help reduce network burden
and node power consumption, and is more suitable our railway
monitoring system than cloud computing

3.2 PROPOSED SYSTEM

• We present here our work in developing a wireless rail monitoring system

using IoT (Internet-of-Things) sensors and edge computing to provide
accurate real-time running state parameters of trains continuously over
time. By placing a wireless MEMS-based sensing system (overall size of
50×50×17 mm) on a rail to collect the vibration information of the rail
under excitation by the wheels of passing trains, and by using edge
 computing technique to analyze these captured vibration data, we
calculated the state parameters of the vehicle with the microprocessor
integrated with the MEMS sensors. Then, the final analysis results were
uploaded to a cloud server via Narrow Band Internet-of-Things (NB-IoT)
networks

3.2.1 ADVANTAGES

• This system has the advantages of low cost, self-powering, and no line
occupation.

A. Mechanism

The given mechanical system is designed in solid works 2014 software.

There are 12 wheels mounted on each side of the rail. This results in
consistency in speed for systematic observation. The axis of the wheel is
perpendicular to the ground which gives a hold on the rail with a larger area of
observation. The motors attached to each wheel act as actuators.

B. Components

a) DC motor

DC motors are selected depending upon the weight and speed of the
robot. In this project, we have used the motors of 150 rpm and 2kg-cm torque.
No load current value equals to 60mA (max) and Load current equals to
300mA. In its common mode of operation, DC motors can be driven
simultaneously, both in forward and reverse direction. L293D is a dual H-bridge
motor driver integrated circuit (IC). Motor drivers proceed as current amplifiers
because they capture a low-current control signal and supply a higher current
signal. This higher current signal operates to drive the motors.

b) Wheels

Selection of wheel is an important part, as the torque and rpm of the

motor may vary depending upon the dimensions of the wheel. The selected
motor dimensions are 68mm in diameter and weight equals to 200gm. The core
material of the wheel is steel alloy and the outer part (grip) is rubber. Using
rubber on the outer side increases traction with rail.

c)GPS

GPS stands for Global Positioning system. Global Positioning System

tracking is a method of working out where exactly the robot is. In the same way,
it tells where exactly the crack is. It also tracks the movement of the vehicle at
the same time. When a crack is detected by the sensor the vehicle stops at once,
and the GPS receiver triangulates the position of the vehicle to receive the
Latitude and Longitude coordinates of the vehicle position, from satellites.
Many systems will preserve the data in the GPS tracking system itself while
some send the information to a centralized database or system by use of a
modem within the GPS system unit or 2-Way GPS.

d)GSM

Mobile messages are sent with the help of GSM. GSM module provides
high range, wireless communication for integrating the system. It is used to
establish communication between a computer and a GSM module. An
embedded system is used because the control is completely dedicated towards
the device or the system it controls.

e) Passive Infrared Sensors

 (PIR sensors) are electronic devices which measure infrared light
radiating from objects in the field of view. This sensor is made up of
pyroelectric sensor. This sensor is used to detect the levels of infrared radiation.
This basically acts as a motion detecting device, helps to detect human presence
or any animal presence on the railway track.

C. Ultrasound testing

The basic principle of ultrasonic testing of materials is the propagation

and reflection of sound waves. For example, consider a cylindrical workpiece.
The positions of atoms in it are extremely magnified and simplified as a single
crystal. To begin with, a rigid unyielding stop is attached to the right front end
of the cylinder. At the left front end, a disc is installed which is used to transmit
and receive sound waves. Pushing and pulling briefly at the disc causes a
longitudinal sound wave to propagate through the cylinder. When the sound
waves reach to the rigid right side it is reflected and runs back towards the disc
which now serves as a receiver. A free end is also able to reflect a wave. In this
case, however the tents outside run ahead in the reflected wave and finally
deflect the receiver to the right.

The reflected wave is even reflected again and travels back for several
times across the length of the cylinder. Therefore, if a sound wave is generated
at one end of a workpiece, it will travel through the material with its speed of
sound. At the free end of the workpiece the sound wave is reflected and it
returns to the transmitter which then acts as a receiver. For ultrasonic testing of
a work piece a large transmitter is used in most cases but a rather compact one
generates a short ultrasonic pulse and a place free from defects, the ultrasonic
pulse travels to the right front end also termed back wall the pulse is reflected
and reflected again as an echo. When the transmitter is moved a little downward
the cavity reflects a part of the wave. That part arrived earlier at the transmitter
than the rest of the sound wave. Even further downwards the cavity reflects the
 complete ultrasonic pulse. For material testing, the echo of a defect can be
utilized. This is the pulse echo mode on the phenomenon that hardly any sound
waves pass through the imperfection. This is called the through transmission
mode.

CHAPTER 4

SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION

4.1 ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN

Pre-processing Down sampling Moving average Time frequency Low frequency

EXPLANATION
 • The procedure of calculating train state parameters based on the original
z-axis acceleration data, mainly including the preprocessing, descending
sampling, moving average, and time-frequency domain transformation of
the original acceleration data. Finally, we acquired the train running state
parameters by extracting the frequency domain characteristics of the
signal. In order to facilitate the subsequent evaluation and analysis of the
detection results, the pre-processed acceleration data were stored in the
SD card for backup.

4.2 SYSTEM SETUP

Here we detail the complete technical solution developed to build a real-

time rail monitoring system based on wireless IoT sensors and edge computing.
It includes system structure, experimental method, and the placement of the
sensing devices.

4.2.1 . SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE

Fig. 1 shows the general system, which consists of a wireless sensing device, a
solar power module, a cloud server, and a client computer. The system is used
to collect rail vibration data to determine the vehicle speed and the number of
carriages by edge computing. The wireless sensing device with multiple sensors
collects and processes the vibration acceleration of the rail when trains pass by.
Then it sends the results to the remote cloud server via NB-IoT network. Users
can view track vibration data and train parameters via user clients. Solar and
lithium batteries are combined to provide uninterrupted energy for wireless
sensing devices.

4.2.2 EXPERIMENTAL METHOD

We cooperated with China Railway Shanhaiguan Bridge Group Co.,

LTD. Our experiment was conducted at the Qinhuangdao section of the Datong-
Qinhuangdao Railway line. The experimental procedures were reviewed and
approved by the Qinhuangdao Public Works Section of Beijing Railway
Administration, and the entire experiment was carried out with the company’s
personnel. The model of the train tested in the experiment was C80B special
open-top car for coal mine, with a dead weight of 19.9 metric tonnes and a load
of 80 metric tonnes. Each vehicle was 12 m in length and the train fully loaded.
In order to avoid interference with neighboring railway, the sensing device
should be installed as far away from the turnout as possible. Meanwhile, it was
required that the rail at the sensor position be free of obvious damage, cracks,
and pollutants, that fasteners be of normal tightness, that sleepers do not sink,
and that the position be normal.
We chose the rail waist as the position to fix the sensing device, because
it has a flat surface to smoothly contact with the side of the sensing device while
keeping away from the train wheel. The first step was to confirm that no train
would pass by during the installation period. Then, we cleaned the rail waist and
fixed the sensor on it with strong double-sided adhesive tape. At the same time,
we pasted the solar panel on the rail pillow, as shown in the scene photo in Fig.
2. Two wireless sensing devices were located close to each other to verify
measured data results. In order to avoid detection errors caused by different
installation positions and sensor parameters, the positioning height and
orientation of the sensor were calibrated by comparison calibration. To evaluate
and compare the performance consistency of the same batch of sensing devices,
the sampling rate and other parameters of the sensor were kept the same.
 Fig. 4.2. The position of two sensors and solar panels in the field
experiment.

The train running videos were shot by a high-speed camera in high

picture quality (1920x1080@30fps), and could be used to accurately calculate
vehicle speed and the cumulative number of carriages by image processing
algorithm. Therefore, it can be used as a benchmark to evaluate the accuracy of
the sensor detection system. Due to the adjacency to the terminal station, the
train was constantly slowed down in the experiment, and the vehicle speed was
set at about 30-60 km/h, which was quite different from normal freight vehicle
speed (~80 km/h) [29].

4.3 SENSOR DEVELOPMENT AND INTEGRATION

Fig. 4(a) shows the structural block diagram of the wireless sensing
device, which includes a sensing module, a data processing module, a wireless
module, an orientation module, and a power supply module. Fig. 4(b) is the
picture of the wireless sensing device, consisting of 1) a lithium battery, 2) a
power management, 3) a microprocessor chip, 4) a MEMS accelerometer, and
5) a NB-IoT wireless transmission module. The functions of each module are
described in details below. The sensing module is mainly used for data
acquisition, including rail vibration acceleration and ambient temperature and
humidity information; The data processing module controls the whole flow of
the program, and analyzes and processes collected vibration data; The analysis
results and location information obtained by the orientation module are
uploaded to the cloud server via NB-IoT. The power module is used to supply
suitable voltage for other modules

4.3.1 SENSING MODULE

The sensing module includes a MEMS triaxial accelerometer and a

temperature/humidity sensor. The MEMS triaxial accelerometer is used to
collect the vibration information of the track, and calibrated by the
temperature/humidity sensor according to collected ambient temperature and
humidity. According to relevant literature, the vibration frequency of the rail is
about 1,200 Hz-1,300 Hz [30]. To measure this kind of vibration, the
accelerometer’s measurement bandwidth should cover the frequency range. To
adapt to the railway field environment and meet the design requirements of low
power consumption and small size, industrial-grade devices with low power
consumption and small package should be selected. Table I summarizes some
specifications of three MEMS accelerometers to make a comparison of similar
products. Finally, we chose the ADXL345, since its maximum measurement
bandwidth of 1,600 Hz can fully meet the requirements for rail vibration
detection of trains. Meanwhile, the normal operating current of ADXL345 is
less than 140 μA, and its measurement range is ±16 g.
The ambient temperature and humidity of the rail have effect on the working
performance of the detection system, so it is necessary to detect the ambient
temperature and humidity. The temperature and humidity sensors need to adapt
to various applications, and have the features of small size, low power
consumption, and ease of integration. We selected the AM2302 digital
temperature and humidity sensors (Guangzhou Aosong Electronics Co., Ltd,
China), which are compound sensors with calibrated digital signal output and a
temperature range of 40-80 ℃. They are characterized by small size and low
power consumption.
4.3.2 DATA PROCESSING MODULE
The major part of the data processing module is a microprocessor chip. In
addition to requiring low power consumption, the microcontroller controls the
overall process of the whole sensor, and carries out edge computing. Therefore,
sufficient operation speed and sufficient storage space are also required. Table
II summarizes the specifications of three commercial microprocessor products
with similar performance.

The STM32L4 series not only has enough peripheral interfaces and 2.0 V to 3.6
V working voltage range compatible with mainstream battery technology, but
also breaks the performance limit in the field of ultra-low power consumption.
We chose STM32L476RGT6 from ST company, because of its low power
consumption (100 μA/MHz) and sufficient flash space (1MB). It delivers 100
DMIPS based on its Arm® Cortex®-M4 core with FPU and ST ART
Accelerator™ at 80 MH (1.25 DMIPS/MHz), which can meet our test
requirements [31].

4.3.3 WIRELESS MODULE

In this paper, we used the data processing module for the edge computing of the
data collected by the accelerometer, and uploaded preliminary results to the
cloud server. So for the wireless communication module, the amount of data
transmitted each time is not large, and intermittent transmission is sufficient.
This creates a lot of advantages, such as reducing the overall power
consumption, improving the monitoring time, and easing the burden on the
microprocessor and wireless communication module. Therefore, the wireless
module to be selected must, first of all, have a sleep mode. At the same time,
power consumption should be low in both the transmission process and the
sleep mode. In addition, small size and long-distance transmission should also
be a focus of consideration. Table III compares the power consumption of
typical LPWAN and WWAN communication modules. We selected the high-
performance and low-power NB-IoT wireless communication module (BC95-
B8) from the table, because it is designed with both sleep mode (with a current
of 3 μA only) and power-saving mode (with a current of 0.5 mA). Meanwhile,
its size is only 23.6 mm × 19.9 mm × 2.2 mm.
 CHAPTER 5

HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS

5.1ARDUINO UNO
5.1.1 OVERVIEW

The Arduino Uno is a microcontroller board based on the ATmega328. It

has 14 digital input/output pins (of which 6 can be used as PWM outputs), 6
analog inputs, a 16 MHz ceramic resonator, a USB connection, a power jack, an
ICSP header, and a reset button. It contains everything needed to support the
microcontroller; simply connect it to a computer with a USB cable or power it
with a AC-to-DC adapter or battery to get started. The Uno differs from all
preceding boards in that it does not use the FTDI USB-to-serial driver chip.
Instead, it features the Atmega16U2 (Atmega8U2 up to version R2)
programmed as a USB-to-serial converter. Board has the following new
features:

pinout : added SDA and SCL pins that are near to the AREF pin and two
other new pins placed near to the RESET pin, the IOREF that allow the shields
to adapt to the voltage provided from the board. In future, shields will be
compatible both with the board that use the AVR, which operate with 5V and
with the Arduino Due that operate with 3.3V. The second one is a not connected
pin, that is reserved for future purposes.

Voltage (limits) - 6-20V Digital I/O Pins - 14 (of which 6 provide PWM
output) Analog Input Pins - 6 DC Current per I/O Pin - 40 mA DC Current for
3.3V Pin - 50 mA Flash Memory - 32 KB (ATmega328) of which 0.5 KB used
by bootloader SRAM - 2 KB (ATmega328) EEPROM - 1 KB (ATmega328)
Clock Speed - 16 MHz 2.4 Power The Arduino Uno can be powered via the
USB connection or with an external power supply. The power source is selected
automatically. External (non-USB) power can come either from an AC-to-DC
adapter (wall-wart) or battery. The adapter can be connected by plugging a
2.1mm center-positive plug into the board's power jack. Leads from a battery
can be inserted in the Gnd and Vin pin headers of the POWER connector. The
board can operate on an external supply of 6 to 20 volts. If supplied with less
than 7V, however, the 5V pin may supply less than five volts and the board may
be unstable. If using more than 12V, the voltage regulator may overheat and
damage the board. The recommended range is 7 to 12 volts.

The power pins are as follows: VIN -The input voltage to the Arduino
board when it's using an external power source (as opposed to 5 volts from the
USB connection or other regulated power source). You can supply voltage
through this pin, or, if supplying voltage via the power jack, access it through
this pin. 5V - This pin outputs a regulated 5V from the regulator on the board.
The board can be supplied with power either from the DC power jack (7 -12V),
the USB connector (5V), or the VIN pin of the board (7-12V). Supplying
voltage via the 5V or 3.3V pins bypasses the regulator, and can damage your
board. We don't advise it. 3V3- A 3.3 volt supply generated by the on-board
regulator. Maximum current draw is 50 mA. GND - Ground pins. IOREF - This
pin on the Arduino board provides the voltage reference with which the
microcontroller operates.

Input and Output Each of the 14 digital pins on the Uno can be used as an
input or output, using pinMode(), digitalWrite(), and digitalRead()functions.
They operate at 5 volts. Each pin can provide or receive a maximum of 40 mA
and has an internal pull-up resistor (disconnected by default) of 20-50 kOhms.
In addition, some pins have specialized functions: Serial: 0 (RX) and 1 (TX).
Used to receive (RX) and transmit (TX) TTL serial data. These pins are
connected to the corresponding pins of the ATmega8U2 USB-to-TTL Serial
chip. External Interrupts: 2 and 3. These pins can be configured to trigger an
interrupt on a low value, a rising or falling edge, or a change in value. See the
attach Interrupt() function for details. PWM: 3, 5, 6, 9, 10, and 11. Provide 8-bit
PWM output with the analog Write() function. SPI: 10 (SS), 11 (MOSI), 12
(MISO), 13 (SCK). These pins support SPI communication using the SPI
library. LED: 13. There is a built-in LED connected to digital pin 13. When the
pin is HIGH value, the LED is on, when the pin is LOW, it's off. The Uno has 6
analog inputs, labeled A0 through A5, each of which provide 10 bits of
resolution (i.e. 1024 different values). By default they measure from ground to 5
volts, though is it possible to change the upper end of their range using the
AREF pin and the analog Reference() function. Additionally, some pins have
specialized functionality: TWI: A4 or SDA pin and A5 or SCL pin. Support
TWI communication using the Wire library. There are a couple of other pins on
the board: AREF. Reference voltage for the analog inputs. Used with analog
Reference(). Reset. Bring this line LOW to reset the microcontroller.
 The Arduino Uno can be programmed with the Arduino software. The
ATmega328 on the Arduino Uno comes preburned with a bootloader that
allows you to upload new code to i without the use of an external hardware
programmer. It communicates using the original STK500 protocol (reference, C
headerfiles). You can also bypass the bootloader an program the microcontroller
through the ICSP (In-Circuit Serial Programming) header; see these instructions
for details. The ATmega16U2 (or 8U2 in the rev1 and rev2 boards) firmware
source code is available. The ATmega16U2/8U2 is loaded with a DFU
bootloader, which can be activated by: On Rev1 boards: connecting the solder
jumper on the back of the board (near the map of Italy) and then resetting the
8U2. On Rev2 or later boards: there is a resistor that pulling the 8U2/16U2
HWB line to ground, making it easier to put into DFU mode. You can then use
Atmel's FLIP software (Windows) or the DFU programmer (Mac OS X and
Linux) to load a new firmware. Or you can use the ISP header with an external
programmer (overwriting the DFU bootloader). See this user-contributed
tutorial for more information. 2.9 Automatic (Software) Reset Rather than
requiring a physical press of the reset button before an upload, the Arduino Uno
is designed in a way that allows it to be reset by software running on a
connected computer. One of the hardware flow control lines (DTR) of
theATmega8U2/16U2 is connected to the reset line of the ATmega328 via a
100 nanofarad capacitor. When this line is asserted (taken low), the reset line
drops long enough to reset the chip. The Arduino software uses this capability
to allow you to upload code by simply pressing the upload button in the
Arduino environment. This means that the bootloader can have a shorter
timeout, as the lowering of DTR can be well-coordinated with the start of the
upload. This setup has other implications. When the Uno is connected to either
a computer running Mac OS X or Linux, it resets each time a connection is
made to it from software (via USB). For the Following half-second or so, the
bootloader is running on the Uno. While it is programmed to ignore malformed
data (i.e. anything besides an upload of new code), it will intercept the first few
bytes of data sent to the board after a connection is opened. If a sketch running
on the board receives one-time configuration or other data when it first starts,
make sure that the software with which it communicates waits a second after
opening the connection and before sending this data. The Uno contains a trace
that can be cut to disable the auto-reset. The pads on either side of the trace can
be soldered together to re-enable it. It's labeled "RESET-EN". You may also be
able to disable the auto-reset by connecting a 110 ohm resistor from 5V to the
reset line.

Fig 5.1 Arduino Uno

5.1.2 PIN DESCRIPTION

Each of the 14 digital pins on the Uno can be used as an input or output,
using pinMode(), digitalWrite(), and digitalRead() functions. They operate at 5
volts. Each pin can provide or receive a maximum of 40 mA and has an internal
pull-up resistor (disconnected by default) of 20-50 kOhms. In addition, some
pins have specialized functions:

Input and Output

Each of the 14 digital pins on the Arduino Uno can be used as an input or
output, using pinMode(), digitalWrite(), and digitalRead() functions. They
operate at 5 volts. Each pin can provide or receive a maximum of 40 mA and
has an internal pull-up resistor (disconnected by default) of 20-50 kOhms.

In addition, some pins have specialized functions:

Serial: pins 0 (RX) and 1 (TX). Used to receive (RX) and transmit (TX) TTL
serial data. These pins are connected to the corresponding pins of the
ATmega8U2 USB-to-TTL Serial chip.

External interrupt: pins 2 and 3. These pins can be configured to trigger an

interrupt on a low value, a rising or falling edge, or a change in value. See the
attach Interrupt() function for details.

PWM: 3, 5, 6, 9, 10, and 11. Provide 8-bit PWM output with the analogWrite()
function.

SPI: 10 (SS), 11 (MOSI), 12 (MISO), 13 (SCK). These pins support SPI

communication using the SPI library.

LED: 13. There is a built-in LED connected to digital pin 13. When the pin is
HIGH value, the LED is on, when the pin is LOW, it’s off.

The Uno has 6 analog inputs, labelled A0 through A5, each of which provide 10
bits of resolutio n (i.e. 1024 different values). By default they measure from
ground to 5 volts, though is it possible to change the upper end of their range
using the AREF pin and the analogReference() functio n.

Additionally, some pins have specialized functionality:

TWI: A4 or SDA pin and A5 or SCL pin. Support TWI communication using
the Wire library.

There are a couple of other pins on the board:

AREF. Reference voltage for the analog inputs. Used with analogReference().

Reset. Bring this line LOW to reset the microcontroller. Typically used to add a
reset button to shields which block the one on the board.

5.2LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY (LCD)

LCD Modules can present textual information to user. It’s like a cheap
“monitor” that you can hook in all of your gadgets. They come in various types.
The most popular one is 16x2 LCD Module. It has 2 rows and 16 columns.

Fig 5.2 A 16X2 LCD MODULE

In order to connect LCD to the MCU, you have to first make physical
connections between the pins of LCD and MCU. In order to connect the LCD,
you have to use one PORT of the MCU completely for this purpose. Suppose
you chose a particular PORT.

Select your chip and clock frequency. Then click on LCD tab. Select the
PORT at which you want to make LCD connections.

Set chars/line text box to 16, because you will be using 16*2 LCD. All
the connections of the LCD other than power connections will be displayed in
the wizard. Make other settings and then select generate save, save and exit
from file menu. To save the file, give the file name.
 Once this is done, you are ready to use LCD display form your program.
You can now use inbuilt functions to write to the LCD screen.

5.3ULTRASONIC SENSOR

An ultrasonic sensor transmits ultrasonic waves into the air and detects
reflected waves from an object. There are many applications for ultrasonic
sensors, such as in intrusion alarm systems, automatic door openers and backup
sensors for automobiles. Accompanied by the rapid development of information
processing technology, new fields of application, such as factory automation
equipment and car electronics, are increasing and should continue to do so.
Using its unique piezoelectric ceramics manufacturing technology developed
over many years, Murata has developed various types of ultrasonic sensors
which are compact and yet have very high performance. The information
contained in this catalog will help you to make effective use of our ultrasonic
sensors. Ultrasonic waves are sounds which cannot be heard by humans and are
normally, frequencies of above 20kHz.

5.4ESP8266

The ESP8266 is a low-cost Wi-Fi microchip with full TCP/IP stack and
microcontroller capability produced by Shanghai-based Chinese manufacturer,
Espressif Systems.

The chip first came to the attention of western makers in August 2014
with the ESP-01 module, made by a third-party manufacturer, Ai-Thinker. This
small module allows microcontrollers to connect to a Wi-Fi network and make
simple TCP/IP connections using Hayes-style commands. However, at the time
there was almost no English-language documentation on the chip and the
commands it accepted.
 Fig 5.4: ESP8266 Module

The very low price and the fact that there were very few external
components on the module which suggested that it could eventually be very
inexpensive in volume, attracted many hackers to explore the module, chip, and
the software on it, as well as to translate the Chinese documentation. The
ESP8285 is an ESP8266 with 1 MiB of built-in flash, allowing for single-chip
devices capable of connecting to Wi-Fi.

Features:

 Processor: L106 32-bit RISC microprocessor core based on

the Tensilica Xtensa Diamond Standard 106Micro running at 80 MHz†
 Memory:
 32 KiB instruction RAM
 32 KiB instruction cache RAM
 80 KiB user data RAM
 16 KiB ETS system data RAM
 External QSPI flash: up to 16 MiB is supported (512 KiB to 4 MiB
typically included)
 IEEE 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi
 Integrated TR switch, balun, LNA, power amplifier and matching
network
  WEP or WPA/WPA2 authentication, or open networks
 16 GPIO pins
 SPI
 I²C (software implementation)[5]
 I²S interfaces with DMA (sharing pins with GPIO)
 UART on dedicated pins, plus a transmit-only UART can be enabled on
GPIO2
 10-bit ADC (successive approximation ADC)

5.5IR SENSOR

We have already discussed how a light sensor works. IR Sensors work by

using a specific light sensor to detect a select light wavelength in the Infra-Red
(IR) spectrum. By using an LED which produces light at the same wavelength
as what the sensor is looking for, you can look at the intensity of the received
light. When an object is close to the sensor, the light from the LED bounces off
the object and into the light sensor. This results in a large jump in the intensity,
which we already know can be detected using a threshold.

Fig 5.5: IR Sensor

Since the sensor works by looking for reflected light, it is possible to have
a sensor that can return the value of the reflected light. This type of sensor can
then be used to measure how "bright" the object is. This is useful for tasks like
line tracking.
5.6PIR SENSOR

A passive infrared sensor (PIR sensor) is an electronic sensor that

measures infrared (IR) light radiating from objects in its field of view. They are
most often used in PIR-based motion detectors. All objects with a temperature
above absolute zero emit heat energy in the form of radiation. Usually this
radiation isn't visible to the human eye because it radiates at infrared
wavelengths, but it can be detected by electronic devices designed for such a
purpose. The term passive in this instance refers to the fact that PIR devices do
not generate or radiate energy for detection purposes. They work entirely by
detecting infrared radiation emitted by or reflected from objects. They do not
detect or measure "heat". An individual PIR sensor detects changes in the
amount of infrared radiation impinging upon it, which varies depending on the
temperature and surface characteristics of the objects in front of

the sensor. When an object, such as a human, passes in front of the background,
such as a wall, the temperature at that point in the sensor's field of view will rise
from room temperature to body temperature, and then back again.

Fig 5.7: PIR Sensor

 The sensor converts the resulting change in the incoming infrared
radiation into a change in the output voltage, and this triggers the detection.
Objects of similar temperature but different surface characteristics may also
have a different infrared emission pattern, and thus moving them with respect to
the background may trigger the detector as well. PIRs come in many
configurations for a wide variety of applications. The most common models
have numerous Fresnel lenses or mirror segments, an effective range of about
ten meters (thirty feet), and a field of view less than 180 degrees. Models with
wider fields of view, including 360 degrees, are available—typically designed
to mount on a ceiling. Some larger PIRs are made with single segment mirrors
and can sense changes in infrared energy over thirty meters (one hundred feet)
away from the PIR. There are also PIRs designed with reversible orientation
mirrors which allow either broad coverage (110° wide) or very narrow "curtain"
coverage, or with individually selectable segments to "shape" the coverage.

5.7 GPS MODEM

Exact location on earth can be known GPS latitude, longitude
information. The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a space based
radio navigation system consisting of a constellation of satellites and a
network of ground stations used for monitoring and control. GPS is
operated and maintained by the Department of Defense (DOD). The
GPS is a constellation of satellites in orbit around the Earth which
transmit their positions in space as well as the precise time. It is the
receiver that collects data from the satellites and computes its location
anywhere in the world based on information it gets from the satellites.
A GPS receiver calculates its position by precisely timing the
signals sent by the GPS satellites high above the Earth. Each satellite
continually transmits messages which include
 The time the message was transmitted
 Precise orbital information (the ephemeris)
 The general system health and rough orbits of all GPS satellites
(the almanac).
5.8 GSM
GSM, which stands for Global System for Mobile communications,
reigns (important) as the world’s most widely used cell phone
technology. Cell phones use a cell phone service carrier’s GSM network
by searching for cell phone towers in the nearby area. Global system for
mobile communication (GSM) is a globally accepted standard for digital
cellular communication.

Fig 5.5: GSM

5.8.1 GENERAL FEATURES
 Tri-band GSM/GPRS900/1800/1900Mhz
 GPRS multi-slot class 10
 GPRS mobile station class –B
 Complaint to GSM phase 2/2+
 -class 4(2W @900MHz)
 -class 1(1W @/18001900MHz)
 Dimensions: 40x33x2.85 mm
 Weight: 8gm
 Control via AT commands (GSM 07.07, 07.05 and SIMCOMenhanced
AT commands)
 SIM application tool kit
 supply voltage range 3.5…….4.5 v
 Low power consumption
 Normal operation temperature: -20 ‟C to +55 „C Restricted operation
temperature : -20 ‟C to -25 „C and +55 ‟C to +70 „C
 storage temperature: -40 „C to +80 „C

5.9POWER SUPPLY

Power supply is the circuit from which we get a desired dc voltage to run
the other circuits. The voltage we get from the main line is 230V AC but the
other components of our circuit require 5V DC. Hence a step-down transformer
is used to get 12V AC which is later converted to 12V DC using a rectifier. The
output of rectifier still contains some ripples even though it is a DC signal due to
which it is called as Pulsating DC. To remove the ripples and obtain smoothed
DC power filter circuits are used. Here a capacitor is used. The 12V DC is rated
down to 5V using a positive voltage regulator chip 7805. Thus a fixed DC
voltage of 5V is obtained.

CHAPTER 6

SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS

6.1ARDUINO IDE

Arduino is a prototype platform (open-source) based on an easy-to-use

hardware and software. It consists of a circuit board, which can be programed
(referred to as a microcontroller) and a ready-made software called Arduino
IDE (Integrated Development Environment), which is used to write and upload
the computer code to the physical board. Arduino provides a standard form
factor that breaks the functions of the micro-controller into a more accessible
package.

Arduino is a prototype platform (open-source) based on an easy-to-use

hardware and software. It consists of a circuit board, which can be programed
(referred to as a microcontroller) and a ready-made software called Arduino
IDE (Integrated Development Environment), which is used to write and upload
the computer code to the physical board. The key features are:
  Arduino boards are able to read analog or digital input signals from
different sensors and turn it into an output such as activating a motor, turning
LED on/off, connect to the cloud and many other actions.

 You can control your board functions by sending a set of instructions to

the microcontroller on the board via Arduino IDE (referred to as uploading
software).

 Unlike most previous programmable circuit boards, Arduino does not

need an extra piece of hardware (called a programmer) in order to load a new
code onto the board. You can simply use a USB cable.

 Additionally, the Arduino IDE uses a simplified version of C++,

making it easier to learn to program.

 Finally, Arduino provides a standard form factor that breaks the

functions of the micro-controller into a more accessible package.

Various kinds of Arduino boards are available depending on different

microcontrollers used. However, all Arduino boards have one thing in common:
they are programed through the Arduino IDE. The differences are based on the
number of inputs and outputs (the number of sensors, LEDs, and buttons you
can use on a single board), speed, operating voltage, form factor etc. Some
boards are designed to be embedded and have no programming interface
(hardware), which you would need to buy separately. Some can run directly
from a 3.7V battery, others need at least 5V.

Fig 6.1: Arduino IDE

 Arduino consists of both a physical programmable circuit board (often
referred to as a microcontroller) and a piece of software, or IDE (Integrated
Development Environment) that runs on your computer, used to write and
upload computer code to the physical board. Arduino is an open source
computer hardware and software company, project, and user community that
designs and manufactures single-board microcontrollers and microcontroller
kits for building digital devices and interactive objects that can sense and
control objects in the physical world. The project's products are distributed as
open-source hardware and software, which are licensed under the GNU Lesser
General Public License (LGPL) or the GNU General Public License (GPL)
permitting the manufacture of Arduino boards and software distribution by
anyone. Arduino boards are available commercially in preassembled form, or as
do-it-yourself (DIY) kits. Arduino board designs use a variety of
microprocessors and controllers. The boards are equipped with sets of digital
and analog input/output (I/O) pins that may be interfaced to various expansion
boards (shields) and other circuits. The boards feature serial communications
interfaces, includ ing Universal Serial Bus (USB) on some models, which are
also used for loading programs from personal computers. The microcontrollers
are typically programmed using a dialect of features from the programming
languages C and C++. In addition to using traditional compiler toolcha ins, the
Arduino project provides an integrated development environment (IDE) based
on the Processing language project.

6.2LIBRARIES

The Arduino environment can be extended through the use of libraries,

just like most programming platforms. Libraries provide extra functionality for
use in sketches, e.g. working with hardware or manipulating data. To use a
library in a sketch, select it from Sketch > Import Library. A number of libraries
come installed with the IDE, but you can also download or create your own. See
these instructions for details on installing libraries.

Standard Libraries Used

 Ethernet-for connecting to the internet using the Arduino Ethernet

Shield, Arduino Ethernet Shield 2 and Arduino Leonardo ETH.
 PCD8544 - for controlling or to communicate with Nokia 5110 lcd.
 Wi-Fi - for connecting to the internet using the Arduino Wi-Fi shield.

6.3EMBEDDED C

Embedded C is a set of language extensions for the C programming

language by the C Standards Committee to address commonality issues that
exist between C extensions for different embedded systems. Historically,
embedded C programming requires nonstandard extensions to the C language in
order to support exotic features such as fixed-point arithmetic, multiple distinct
memory banks, and basic I/O operations.

6.3.1 Embedded Programming

Embedded refers to the combination of hardware and software.

Embedded systems programming is the programming of an embedded system in
some device using the permitted programming interfaces provided by that
system. EmbeddedJava is an example of a development environment for
programming embedded systems that will execute Java programs. Arduino is a
very minute part of embedded systems, in fact we can call it as an application
product of embedded system. Arduino is just any other microcontroller board,
with a specifically designed API and software which makes programming it
very easy. Arduino is just a drop of water in Embedded System Ocean.
 CHAPTER 7

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

we present and verify experimental results, and evaluate the performance

of the whole hardware and algorithm. One or more wireless sensing devices are
placed on the rail waist to collect track vibration acceleration during train
operation. The devices process the acceleration data, and upload the results to
the cloud. In addition, we have also installed a high-speed camera on the slant
of the track to record the train operation and verify the reliability of the
algorithm.
The vehicle speed and the number of carriages obtained from the video taken by
the high-speed camera are considered as true values. We compared the results
of the microprocessor calculation, the results of the offline calculation of the
data in the SD card, and the true values, as shown below.
According to further analysis, the absolute error of the vehicle speeds from edge
computing and true value was within 0.2 km/h, while the error between raw
data and true value was within 0.15 Km/h. In addition, the number of passing
carriages from the raw data (offline 3,200 Hz) and edge computing (online 32
Hz) were both correct

According to the results, 92 trains with C80B special open wagons for coal
transport passed by within 24 hours, with 15,096 carriages in total. The
cumulative coal transport capacity in one day was more than 1.2 million tons, or
more than 50,000 tons per hour on average. Then the annual coal transport
capacity of this railway would exceed 400 million tons, consistent with the
annual coal transport capacity of Datong-Qinhuangdao Railway line

CHAPTER 8

CONCLUSION

In this paper, we presented a train rail monitoring framework to provide train

speed and number of carriages information based on IoT sensors and edge
computing technologies. In our scheme, the sensing system is placed at the rail
waist to collect the rail vibration acceleration caused by passing trains. Edge
computing is carried out by the microprocessor in the sensing system, and real-
time results are uploaded to the Cloud. For the hardware design, we have
implemented a wireless sensing device that integrates accelerometer and
microprocessor to detect and analyze the vibration of the rail. The sensing
system is also integrated with a solar panel for continuous operations over time.
Computationally, the time-domain accelerations are converted into the
frequency domain to identify the running speed of the train and the number of
carriages. As indicated by experimental results, this method accurately
recognizes the speed and the number of carriages of the moving train, and the
stability of the entire system is verified. Finally, we demonstrated that this
scheme is capable for 24-hour real-time monitoring without occupation of track
resources, which greatly enriched the detection method of railway operation
status.