| | | Railway Signaling Systems Operation of switches requires 100% reliable electronics and is one of the most safety-critical applications in the railway area. Alcatel Transport Automation Solutions has developed an Electronic Interlocking System called "LockTrac" that uses standard CompactPCI® components from MEN. The redundant, self-monitoring interlocking computer is qualified for -20 to +70°C operation temperature. It is based on standard hardware components (19" technology, CompactPCI®, M-Modules™, PC-MIP®). The industrial computing equipment in this application is installed in hundreds of railway stations in Austria, Switzerland, Hungary, Spain, Iran and Scandinavia. Another manufacturer in Italy uses MEN standard CompactPCI® Intel® based single-board computers in 3U format to build up double-redundant systems for signaling control systems. | | Passenger Information Systems To make public transport more attractive and better accepted, more and more dynamic information systems are being used to inform the passengers on the current traffic situation. For passenger information systems in trains, streetcars and buses a Spanish c ompany uses MEN components for a central computer unit and the entire I/O needed for system communication. | | |
| | | Tilting System A Spanish manufacturer of railway vehicles equips his electro and diesel motor train units with active tilting technology for rail routes in Spain. Control is in the hands of VMEbus systems from MEN that are equipped with timers/counters, analog I/O, TTL I/O and CAN interfaces and run under a real-time operating system. Tilting technology uses sensor-controlled industrial actuators which make the railcar body move as programmed depending on the centrifugal force. The tilting angle may reach 8°. The train counteracts the centrifugal forces and can therefore travel through turns at up to 30% higher speed, as long as there are no safety-related speed limits. The purpose is to make the trip more pleasant for passengers and to considerably shorten trip duration on winding routes. | | |