Digital Train Comm.

Network

A study for development of low cost alternative

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Presentation Overview
• The need
• Standards
• Requirements
• Network technology selection
• Proposed network architecture
• Road Map for Development
• Cost of Deployment
• Questions?

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The Need
• UIC CODE 660:
Technical
Compatibility of high
speed trains
– Max. Axle Loads
– Min. acceleration
values
– Safety requirements
• Bogie Stability Photo: Source Wikipedia
• Siemens Velaro
• Bearing Monitoring – DB ICE (Germany)
– RENFE (Spain)
• Alarms – CRH (China)
– RZD (Russia)
• Brake application – Eurostar
– TCDD (Turkey)
• Speed control

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The Need

Figure : Source Siemens Velaro Datasheet

• Distribution of equipment over train set

• Requires mission critical control communications
• Dedicated analog wiring is not a solution
– Complexity & Cost
– Maintainability & Reliability

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The Need: Wiring Complexity & Cost
• Powered
Bogie
Monitoring
– 17 sensors
– 2 buses
• Power
• Comm.
• In analog form
– 17 cables
from each
bogie!
Figure: Source SKF Product Datasheet
– A Rat’s nest!
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The Need

• Requirement of a communication network

– High availability

– Deterministic

– Fault tolerant

– Standard

– Interoperable

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The Need

• Network Infrastructure for TCMS

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Survey: Technology / Standards
• UIC • Proprietary implementation
– IEC 61375 – Ethernet only
– CAN / CAN Powerline
• MVB / WTB (2007)
– Lonworks
• CCN / ETB (2012)
– UIC 556
• Problem with standards is
• AAR implementation is not
– S-590 standardized
– S-9356
– M-9155 • Cost and suitability?

• Which one ? Or a New One

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Identified Requirements
• Application Requirements
– Control Communications
• Intra-vehicle
• Inter-vehicle
• External to the train (train to ground & train to train)
– Passenger Infotainment
• Displays and announcement
• Media Streaming
• Internet Access
– Surveillance Systems

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Network Technology: Selection
• Initially planned only on Ethernet
• CON’S
– Lack of determinism
– Heavy computing resource requirement
– Low data efficiency for low volume data transfer
• Consensus for 2-tier approach
– Between controllers on a vehicle
– Between vehicles of a train
– Train to ground to be handled by gateways
• Outside the scope of this project
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Technology Selection: Criteria
Capability / Requirement
Criteria Category Sub-Criteria
Low (1) High (10)
Volume Low High
Speed Low High
Latency High Low
Nature of Data
Determinism Low High
Security Poor Reliable
Error Tolerance Poor Reliable
Complexity of On-board resources Heavy Light
implementation Supporting ecosystem Limited Vast
Distance Short Long
Physical characteristics
Noise immunity Poor Good
Plug & Play Poor Rich
Features at lower layers
Fault recovery Poor Rich
Equipment Cost Cost High Low

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Technology Selection: Criteria for VB

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Technology Selection: Criteria for VB

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Technology Selection: Criteria for TB

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Technology Selection: Criteria for TB

15
Network Architecture: Proposed

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Network Architecture: Proposed

• Explore wireless for inter-vehicle connectivity

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Road Map: Equipment
• Ethernet / CAN Train Bus Routers
– Wireless inter-vehicle connections
– Use open source software and customize
• DD-WRT as a start point
– Integration of TRDP
• TCNOpen Project
• Software Stack for CAN Interfaces
– Open source stacks available
– Customize to handle dual CAN buses
• Design goal
– To free applications from communications
handling
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Road Map: Conformance Testing
• Why testing facility?
– Requirements dedicated to Indian Railways
– Cannot expect suppliers / other labs to invest
– All equipment to be tested at the time of
integration
– Interoperability
• How?
– Application level testing laboratory
• Develop standard test protocol software
• Simulate the communication network of a 26 vehicle
train

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Cost!

TCN with WTB-MVB interfaces

Veh. Type WTB-MVB Equip. MVB Equip.
Type No. Qty./Veh. Cost Qty./Veh Cost Total
Loco 2 1 $ 5,700 30 $ 860 $ 63,000
Coach 24 1 $ 5,700 20 $ 860 $ 5,49,600
TOTAL $ 6,12,600

TCN with ETB-CAN interfaces

Veh. Type ETB Equip. CAN Equip.
Type No. Qty./Veh Cost Qty. Cost Total
Loco 2 2 $ 2,500 60 $ 50 $ 16,000
Coach 24 2 $ 2,500 40 $ 50 $ 1,68,000
TOTAL $ 1,84,000

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Questions?

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“If you are not failing every now and
again, it’s a sign you aren’t doing
anything very innovative”
~Woody Allen

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OSI Model
Data Unit Layer Function
Host Data 7 Application Network process to
Layers application
6 Presentation Data representation,
encryption and decryption,
convert machine dependent
data to machine
independent data
5 Session Inter-host communication
Segments 4 Transport End-to-end connections,
reliability and flow control
Media Packet 3 Network Path determination and
Layers logical addressing
Frame 2 Data-link Physical addressing
Bit 1 Physical Media, signal and binary
transmission
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