Railway Tracking System
Railway Tracking System
PROF.D.D.SHELKE
In the partial fulfillment for the award Of
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Group Members
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MAHARASHTRA STATE
BOARD OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION
Certificate
Yash Patil (937)
This is to certify that Mr. / Ms.
Soham Choughule (940) Omkar Ghadge (944), Abhishek Ingle
(945)
Roll No. 937, 940,944, 945 of Fourth Semester of Diploma in…
computer engineering of Institute, Samarth Samaj Jondhale polytechnic
(Code: …0044..................) has completed the term work satisfactorily in
Subject Software Engineering (22413) for the academic year 2021. to 2022.
as prescribed in the curriculum.
Seal of
Institution
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INDEX:
Sr.no Topic
1 Acknowledgment
2 Introduction
3 Overview
4 Process Model
5 Software
Requirements
6 Product Functions
7 User Characteristics
8 General Contents
9 Assumptions
10 Diagram
11 Conclusion And
Reference
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Acknowledgments:
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Introduction:
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Systems for Real-Time Monitoring of
Railway Vehicles
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services for the shippers, by offering innovative cargo status
monitoring tools in combination with effective predictive
maintenance plans. This would also help in increasing the capabilities
for visibility of goods to shippers and end customers by integrating
innovative solution for data monitoring with data communications.
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Overview of Monitoring Systems
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FIG. Breakdown of potentially measurable variables for
condition monitoring systems
wired sensors for measuring key condition parameters. Through its
functions and provided real-time data, the system will enable
interventions at potential hazardous and/or critical moments during the
transport of goods from one end of the journey to another. For
example, the continuous real-time monitoring of hazardous goods such
as flammable, explosive or toxic chemicals can increase the safety and
security of these goods, and assist in reducing the risks associated with
their transport. The system also enables the shipper and receiver to
verify that the critical limits on the conditions have been maintained
throughout the journey. The sensors are now relatively advanced and
the main challenges in their future development is to make them self-
powering or to ensure that they can successfully operate in real time
instead of the parameters’ data being transferred to a storage system for
retrieval at long intervals. The use of self-powering sensors and energy
harvesting devices will increase the overall energy efficiency with
reduced environmental impact by reducing CO2 levels. Further sensors
could also be developed to measure any variables that are of interest to
manufacturers and operators. A main requirement of these sensors is to
be cost-effective, reliable and have minimal environmental impact.
Tracking and tracing systems have many benefits such as locating
critical transport assets in a variety of situations (crisis situations such
as major accident, in case of major failures of existing networks,
where
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state-of-the-art traffic management systems are not in use, or for
integrated logistics chains). They can also track the flow of goods from
start to finish and support and ensure efficiency in combined operations
involving other modes of transports. Tracking and tracing systems
require a reliable method of determining the position of the item being
tracked. Simple tracing systems (such as a barcode reader in a
warehouse) identify an item as being at a specific fixed location at a
specific time; for continuous real-time positioning, data on a large-
scale global satellite positioning systems are the most effective and
suitable for most situations. These can be supplemented by short range
radio frequency systems using radio beacons in certain situations such
as inside warehouses to overcome the limitations of satellite systems
where necessary. There are a number of satellite positioning systems
(based on different satellite networks but using the same principles)
available to give positions accurate to within 5 m or less, including
GPS, EGNOS, GALILEO and EDAS. To achieve real-time monitoring
and tracking, the sensors and tracking systems must then be
implemented into a network and communication system. This is a
challenge—to integrate a system such as this into the existing railway
operating system and provide reliable, safe transmission of
passenger/cargo condition data. Such a system must be compatible with
current systems such as the European Traffic Management System and
must be compliant will all current legislation. Practically, such
networks can be deployed either on vehicles or trackside. If systems
were placed on vehicles, responsibility would fall on railway operators,
whereas with significant trackside infrastructure, significant
responsibilities would fall on infrastructure managers which could be
problematic. Onboard solutions are more expensive per vehicle but
require less infrastructure set-up costs as they are less reliant on local
infrastructure (apart from mobile phone coverage) and the costs 80 C.
Ulianov et al. scale directly with the number of vehicles fitted. If
technologies dependent on wayside infrastructure are used, then the
large infrastructure costs are applied to the operation of the vehicles;
this makes communication networks reliant on dedicated wayside
infrastructure less cost-effective for application to lower number of
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vehicles. Another innovative potential aspect of such monitoring and
tracking solutions involves the power sources for the systems. On
passenger trains, there is generally power available to operate the
systems, however on freight trains the power sources are not generally
available. Fitting all the freight vehicles in a train with a power
generator or connecting them to the locomotive power supply is not a
very cost-effective solution, whereas combining systems designed to
have low power usage with energy harvesting technologies is a much
more viable solution. Modern condition monitoring systems powered
from energy harvesting systems installed on the train would be highly
efficient and state of the art; when combined with wireless
communications systems, they avoid the significant installation costs
associated with installing wiring throughout a vehicle. However, it is a
significant challenge to develop accurate and reliable systems that
would be operable across the entire network. Solar and wind power
are potential solutions for energy harvesting, however, these sources
are subject to wide variability, high maintenance costs and are
vulnerable to physical damage and theft due to their locations on
vehicles.
Thermoelectric power is a possible alternative, but it is not very
effective unless the temperature difference being used is exceptionally
large. Electromagnetic waves are another potential power source, but,
unfortunately, can only currently generate small amounts of energy,
and further advances in technology would be needed to make this
source commercially feasible. Micro-generators utilising energy from
ambient vibrations of rolling stock are considered as a potential option
for an energy harvesting power source, and are already in operation in
the United Kingdom for condition monitoring systems involving
wireless communication. The final challenge to the development of an
inspection and condition monitoring system is the integration of such
a system in a way that meets all of the regulatory and operational
requirements. That is to develop an integrated technology to collect
real-time information on the location, vehicle and cargo condition and
transmit the data in real time to a control unit. The collected data can
then be processed and transmitted to a driver or operator or other
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relevant technologies. The potential benefits of such a system include:
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i. Provision of information about actual vehicle condition, to allow
better and more efficient maintenance programs, leading to reduced
maintenance and operating costs and greater operational availability
and reliability; ii. Allowing better management of critical
parameters
for passenger comfort; iii. Provision of accurate information to
customers about the location and status of goods; iv. Facilitation of
decision making and feedback support for customers, train
operators, infrastructure managers and entities in charge of
maintenance.
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Integrated Technologies for Condition-
Based Maintenance (CBM) and Predictive
Maintenance (PM)
This section outlines examples of some systems already employed for
the purpose of monitoring railway vehicle condition in the context of
preventive and predictive maintenance. These include wayside systems
which measure specific vehicle parameters as they pass, such as: • Shoe
gear wear detector • Brake pads wear detector • Acoustic bearing
detector • Hot box detector • Wheel inspection systems, etc. In addition
to wayside, onboard systems can be implemented. Monitoring input
from both wayside and on board can be combined to produce a
comprehensive picture of vehicle condition, based on measurement of
critical parameters. The combined vehicle condition data set can be
used to verify that the vehicle is currently within operational limits
(and take the necessary action to ensure safety and protect the
condition of the entire rail system if it is not), and the historic data can
be used to establish trends to predict the future condition and plan
effective maintenance. The use of such monitoring and inspection
techniques will increase freight logistic capabilities by offering real-
time data on freight location and condition, through the use of smart
self-powered sensors and communication technologies, towards
improved safety, reliability and interoperability of freight service in
order to increase its availability to freight customers. These monitoring
and inspection techniques will enable the implementation of modern
and innovative predictive maintenance analytics, models, and
procedures which will increase RAMS and reduce LCC further
enhancing the competitiveness and safety of rail freight. This is
possible since the predictive maintenance techniques result in the
vehicle being maintained effectively whilst minimising the
maintenance carried out, reducing premature component replacement,
thus utilising the full component life. This minimises the number of
maintenance interventions and replacement components required,
minimising costs, whilst increasing operational availability. As can be
seen from the technological
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challenges listed below there are many synergies between systems for
freight and passenger environment condition monitoring, and vehicle
condition monitoring for maintenance purposes. Therefore, there is the
potential to gain further efficiencies by integrating the sensors for
different purposes into a common data collection and communication
structure. Practical challenges/obstacles and innovations needed before
the implementation of vehicle condition monitoring systems on-board
vehicles include: 82 C. Ulianov et al. • Energy harvesting solutions for
powering freight condition monitoring sensors and wireless data
transmission in a rail environment; • Low power intelligent sensors for
measuring and monitoring key vehicle parameters, with capabilities for
wireless powering and data communication; • Low power wireless
communication interface between freight sensors in transit and logistics
systems monitoring and tracing the freight; • Intelligent automated
wireless control system for processing data signals received by the
receiver unit to determine operational condition and to predict
subsequent operational problems associated with the vehicle, cargo or
passenger environment conditions; • Reliable storage system that can
offer a flexibility in importing and exporting the huge data and
information received from the collection unites on board the rail
vehicles; • A state-of-the-art communication interface for monitoring
the rail vehicles that can offer a flexible and easy access to the
collected and stored data at any time to allow live monitoring of the
vehicle condition, cargo status or passenger conditions. shows a generic
model of how such an integrated freight and condition monitoring
system would look in practice. Data pertaining to vehicle condition
would feedback to operators and infrastructure managers and data
relating to
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3 Generic model of an operational integrated freight and
condition monitoring system (the Shift2Rail INNOWAG
project concept)
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freight condition would be sent to the freight operators. Reactions
based on this information could then be implemented. Potential
outcomes if such a system was implemented include: i. Increase of
freight logistic capabilities by offering real-time data on freight
location and condition through the use of smart self-powered sensors
and communication technologies; ii. Improved safety, reliability and
interoperability of freight service in order to increase its availability to
freight customers; iii. Increase of RAMS (Reliability, Availability,
Maintainability and Safety) and reduced LCC (Life-cycle cost) by
implementing modern and innovative predictive maintenance analytics,
models and procedures; iv. Contribute to the improvement of
interoperability by enabling the use of the captured cargo data and
goods condition in real time; v. Integrate the power generation, sensor
systems and communication systems into a freight monitoring solution
capable of making captured information available to a web-based
logistic application; vi. Enable the data communication via UHF/RFID
technologies in a controlled manner, through a central control and
collection unit, either to fixed gateways placed on the infrastructure,
along the freight line, or directly to satellite or central collecting units.
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Satellite and Communication Systems for Real-
Time Tracking of Railway Assets ,Overview of
Satellite Tracing Applications in Rail
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variety of GNSS systems in operation worldwide such as the Global
Positioning System (GPS) developed by the USA which has accuracy
to approximately 2.5 m. Other systems include the Russian equivalent
of GPS (GLONASS) and European systems such as EGNOS
(European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service), which
includes four geostationary satellites augmented with ground stations
and a signal integrity component for safety critical applications. An
alternative European system currently in development or
implementation stages is the Galileo system with 30 satellites—this
would provide a next generation GNSS with a positioning accuracy of
to within 45 cm. Having outlined the current state of GNSS systems, it
is important to outline its potential uses in the rail sector. These
include: • Traffic Management—Location of trains without need for
expensive and extensive lineside infrastructure. This would allow
authorisation of train movements based on known locations and
tracking of all trains, optimising track capacity and flexibility. • Fleet
management—Locate fleet precisely without dependence on
infrastructure and infrastructure management. This would allow rail
undertakings to precisely track vehicle usage and mileage, and driver
performance. • Safety and emergency intervention and location—
Location of assets in area of incident or hazard, quickly and precisely
identify the location of assets involved in an incident and the assets in
the area of an incident which are potentially at risk from the
consequences of that incident. This kind of system would have been
particularly helpful in February 2007 in the Greyrigg train derailment.
The train was lost in a 12 miles section of track with no precise
indication where the train had left the track as the derailment had
damaged nearby signalling equipment. Consequently, it took 34 min
for the first emergency services to locate the train. Had these
emergency services been provided with a precise location, they would
have arrived on the scene much sooner. Another way that a GNSS
system would improve safety is to locate hazardous freight at all times
with a possible inclusion of condition monitoring. • Asset management
and condition monitoring (offline CM for traceability, online with
communication)— with potential uses for the rail industry and freight
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customers. The rail
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industry could use GNSS to track the location of defects in rail
infrastructure that could be detected by trains in the future. For
freight customers, GNSS could allow customers to track the location
and condition of 6 Railway Applications for Monitoring and Tracking
Systems 85 sensitive freight with temperature alarms for perishable
items and tamper alarms for valuable freight.
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GNSS Technologies for Rail Applications
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Rail Application of Satellite Tracking Case
Study: SPARTACUS Project
The authors were directly involved in the SPARTACUS project
(Satellite Based Asset Tracking for Supporting Emergency
Management in Crisis Operations), which ran from 2013 to 2016, and,
at the time of writing, was one of the most recent developments in
the application of GNSS to railways. SPARTACUS aimed to design,
develop, test and validate in simulated and real-world scenarios,
GALILEO-ready tracking/positioning solutions for critical asset tracking
and crisis management. Its critical asset tracking element includes
tracking of railway assets (vehicles) both for logistical tracking and
tracing, and emergency location and support. Unlike other
developments, it is not used for regular train control. NewRail had a
significant role in specifying the user requirements in the rail sector
and testing the system in a railway environment The system itself
consists of GNSS receivers on locomotive and waggons, upgradable to
the Galileo system (as shown in Fig. 6.4). Tracking units calculate their
position from GNSS and combine with an Inertia Navigation System to
provide continuous positioning (even in areas without satellite
coverage).
These tracking units form low power wireless network to
communicate position of all tracking units to a collecting unit on the
locomotive (or a marshalling yard). The collecting unit then collects
the positions of all units and sends data to the communication unit.
This communication unit transmits position data to the database
using terrestrial 4G phone network or satellite communication to
ensure maximum communication coverage. It also includes a smart
link selection function to select the most efficient data link from either
the terrestrial or satellite communications link (Figs. 6.5 and 6.6).
SPARTACUS was recently tested on the Barrow Hill test site to
evaluate its accuracy and reliability. Example results are shown
below in Fig. 6.7. The results are encouraging for the future
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development of
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SPARTACUS system. The results show that the system provided an
accurate position with the average locomotive position error
being less than 0.5 m and with position data successfully
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collected from all units and transmitted to database. These results
show a tracking accuracy sufficient for non-train control applications.
The next steps in development would be to improve the usability of
the prototype system and components to increase attractiveness to
market. Further, long-term testing on operational environment and
testing in an emergency scenario with emergency services will be the
next step in the project. The system also has the potential to be
customised (with additional sensors) to transmit more data than just
position, including cargo or vehicle condition, using the data
handling and communication system developed to integrate
additional functionality. A description of the SPARTACUS system, and
further details and analysis of the testing program for the system
have been recently reported by Hyde et al. (2016) and by Pavkovic et
al. (2016).
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Conclusions and Way Forward
In conclusion, the results of this study are broadly positive. There are
technologies and systems in development, which have demonstrated
the feasibility of the concept of real-time tracking, tracing and
condition monitoring of railway vehicles. Indeed, there are such
systems, or elements thereof which are currently applied to railway
passenger vehicle fleets, although this is not commonplace and there
is significant scope for further development. In the rail freight sector,
there are currently no commercially available fully integrated systems
which allow unpowered vehicles to be continuously tracked and
monitored. Therefore, further research and investment are needed,
however, before such systems are developed to a point where they
become standard practice and suitable for implementation in regular
operation and commercially viable, particularly in the rail freight
sector. The potential benefits of such systems are clear: Fig. 6.6
Pictures taken during testing of SPARTACUS system Fig. 6.7 Example
results of SPARTACUS testing 6 Railway Applications for Monitoring
and Tracking Systems 89 • Provide continuous real-time tracking data
to allow goods transported by rail freight to be part of a fully
integrated logistics chain, making rail transport more compatible with
the effective logistics management systems which many businesses
require. • Increasing the automation level of the operational
processes through the integration of smart monitoring systems may
provide suitable actions during the freight journey which could open
up new markets to rail freight. • The use of the self-powering sensors
and energy harvesting devices may increase the overall energy
efficiency of the railway network and reduce the environmental
impact by lower CO2 levels. • The real-time monitoring systems
solutions, in addition to the tracking and tracing modules, can improve
the system reliability and help harmonising the mixed traffic freight-
passenger trains. • Implementation of effective predictive
maintenance programs based on optimised analytical models can
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reduce the lead time and vehicle
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downtime and further improve the rail freight cost-efficiency and
reliability. • Predictive maintenance programs based on real-time data
collected during the journey would support the optimisation of
maintenance operations’ planning, improving thus the
interoperability and safety of freight rail transport. Furthermore, this
chapter outlines the potential applications of GNSS positioning
associated with tracking rail vehicles and detailed the development of
GNSS technology in rail applications, as well as detailing recent work
in the area and highlighting some of the challenges of applying GNSS
and continuous data communication to railway applications. It has
been shown that previous attempts to develop GNSS-based tracking
system of rail traffic management failed to achieve the necessary
positioning accuracy and reliability for rail traffic management.
However recent developments, such as the SATLOC and SPARTACUS
projects, indicate that GNSS technology might be approaching the
accuracy, with the required confidence levels in that accuracy, for the
potential advantages of the technology (increased flexibility and
reduced fixed infrastructure costs) to be exploited. In conclusion, this
study has shown the potential for the use of GNSS in the rail sector.
Unfortunately, due to high constraints on train movements (trains
operate within 1.2 m of each other) and operational environment
including obstructions to satellite reception, rail is a very challenging
sector for satellite based GNSS to achieve the necessary accuracy.
This is shown by the low implementation of previous research
projects between 2000 and 2010; in some part due to lack of
performance and use of declining technologies and in some cases due
to the unfeasibility of projects. However, recent projects such as
SPARTACUS have the potential to meet performance requirements
with relevant technology reaching maturity. The detailed examination
of the SPARTACUS project, as well as work in other projects, show
some of the challenges of implementing GNSS tracking systems in the
rail industry, as well as the potential of GNSS systems to positively
contribute to the industry in the future.
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Conclusion:
In this micro project me and my all team
members learn about use and Software
Engineering Process and we all thanks to
PROF: D.D. Shelke Sir for this golden
opportunity to give a project on Railway
Tracking System
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Reference:
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Proceedings of international conference on traffic
and transport engineering. Belgrade, pp 227–235.
ISBN 978-86-916153-3-8 SATLOC project (2016)
Satellite based operation and management of local
low traffic lines project summary.
http://satloc.uic.org/Project- summary SPARTACUS
project (2016) Satellite based asset tracking for
supporting emergency management in crisis
operations project summary.
http://cordis.europa.eu/project/rcn/110848_en.html
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