Improving rail operations with innovative train positioning technologies

APTA Rail Conference 2022
June 8, 2022 - San Diego, CA

Transcript

1. Improving rail operations with innovative train positioning technologies Joffrey Lauthier APTA Rail Conference, San Diego, CA June 8, 2022
2. Agenda Making rail more competitive Many positioning technologies Satellite based augmentation for rail Ultra-wideband radio ranging Zero-infrastructure localization Beyond positioning: obstacle detection Improving rail operations with innovative train positioning technologies 2
3. Rail systems rely on vehicle location Systems Function Precision / accuracy Safety- critical Passenger information Real-time information (RTPI) 100 to 1,000 ft ◦ Control center Network optimization 1,000 ft or more ◦ Local supervision 10 ft at traffic intersections, platforms ◦ Maintenance Track condition monitoring 1 ft ◦ Roadway Worker Protection (RWPS) 100 ft • Train control Driver assistance (DAS) 100 to 1,000 ft ◦ Automatic train protection (ATP) 10 to 1,000+ ft • Train integrity 10 ft • Automatic train operation (ATO) Down to 1 inch for precision stops • Improving rail operations with innovative train positioning technologies 3
4. Optimizing transit signal priority Requires fail-safe train position, speed, acceleration. Driver assistance system indicating the recommended speed. Improving grade crossing activation traffic signal preemption o less travel time variability o better schedule adherence o CAPEX savings from running less trains o OPEX savings from more efficient operations 15% o reduction in travel time 4 4
5. Accurate position, speed, acceleration o faster approach to the station, reduced trip time o improved ability to recover from wheel slides, steeper braking profiles o higher stopping accuracy Narrower door openings o lighter doors close faster, reducing headway and dwell time o cheaper to procure, install and maintain Precision stops for platform screen doors 5
6. Shorter headways increased train frequency and capacity to recover from disruptions faster, less mechanical and electrical failures than traditional couplers Automatic train operations Virtual train coupling 6
7. Train positioning system enabler for other rail systems to offer a higher level of service o shorter headways o more automation o safer rail operations o faster recovery from disruptions o better decisions at the control center New technologies to reduce the cost of procuring, operating and maintaining the positioning infrastructure Making passenger rail more competitive 7 Global IoT market forecast in billion connected IoT devices. Source: IoT Analytics Research 2022. Growth of connected IoT devices bn
8. Localization technologies * successfully included in a Safety Integrity Level 4 safety case Train localization system Diversity of sensors to meet safety targets Pairing sensors providing continuous relative position with sensors providing absolute location corrections 8
9. Adoption criteria Evaluating train positioning systems Location Accuracy Precision Reliability, Availability, Maintainability Safety-critical Additional functions Train-to-wayside communications Train detection Obstacle detection Cost Carborne equipment Wayside infrastructure Improving rail operations with innovative train positioning technologies 9
10. Satellite-based train localization Bane NOR – Alstom Hybrid odometry to replace doppler radars that fail under snow conditions Adding satellite navigation and inertial measurement to train location system Safety-certified, scheduled for revenue operations Network Rail – Thales Robust Train Positioning System combines data from satellite positioning, inertial sensors, radar and a digital track map to locate the train without the need for lineside equipment Future interface with Train Protection & Warning System 10
11. CLUG Project – Certifiable Localisation Unit with GNSS in the railway environment Source: The CLUG Project Deliverable D3.4 – GNSS Augmentation Needs for Rail 11
12. Satellite Based Augmentation Systems for rail European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) o GNSS augmentation service providing safe corrections and integrity data to GNSS receivers to improve accuracy and safety o Safe corrections to GPS and Galileo are the pre-requisite for safety-critical use of satellite positioning in train control Development of specific SBAS infrastructure: European GNSS Navigation Safety Service for Rail (EGNSS-R) EGNOS functional architecture. Source: EGNOS User Support, European Satellite Services Provider (ESSP) website Improving rail operations with innovative train positioning technologies 12
13. Innovative train localization Ultra-wideband radio ranging New York MTA pioneering the replacement of legacy transponders with UWB radio beacons on future CBTC modernization projects. UWB ranging measures a precise distance between the train and beacons installed along the tracks. Trains compute their position by triangulation with wayside beacons. 13
14. UWB-based positioning system benefits Wayside Inside cab Inertial Measurement Unit Ultra-wideband radio Ultra-wideband radio Underframe equipment: expensive and time- consuming installation and maintenance Track-mounted transponders: impractical for tuning and maintenance In-cab installation performed in four hours, accelerating fleetwide upgrades Smaller onboard sensors footprint allows for train control equipment installation on maintenance vehicles Future compatibility with autonomous operations Between tracks Vehicle underframe Wheel sensor Transponder antenna Track transponder 14
15. Technology Range ★★★★ typ. 100m, max 300m ★★★ typ. 50m, max 150m ★★ typ. 15m, max 100m ★ typ. 1m, max 5m Accuracy ★★★★ 2 to 50 centimeters ★ 5 to 15 meters ★★ 1 to 5 meters ★★★ 10 to 100 centimeters Data communication ★★★ < 10 Mbps ★★★★ > 1 Gbps ★★ < 1 Mbps ★ very short telegrams Robustness ✔️ strong immunity to multipath and interferences ✖ very sensitive to multipath, obstructions, and interferences ✖ very sensitive to multipath, obstructions, and interferences ✔️ strong immunity to multipath and interferences Security ✔️ distance-time bounded protocol ✖ can be spoofed using relay attack ✖ can be spoofed using relay attack ✖ can be spoofed using relay attack Latency ★★★★ < 1ms to get to XYZ ★ > 3s to get to XYZ ★ > 3s to get to XYZ ★★ 1s to get to XYZ Other radio ranging technologies
16. Zero infrastructure Train positioning without wayside equipment Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) using a combination of sensors Promising research results but far from safety certification Accelerometers, gyroscopes and inertial measurement units provide an acceleration profile mapped against a digital track signature 2D and 3D LiDAR to detect switches and landmarks Magnetometers tracking the magnetic disturbance of poles and other metallic wayside equipment against a digital track signature Monocular, Stereo and RGB-D cameras identifying landmarks Inertial Lidar Magnetic Vision 16
17. ELASTIC Project in Florence, Italy o Next Generation Autonomous Positioning (NGAP) o Advanced Driving Assistant System (ADAS) Obstacle detection through vehicle positioning sensors ELASTIC Project – A Software Architecture for Extreme-ScaLe Big-Data AnalyticS in Fog CompuTIng ECosystems 25% Reduction in incidents 5% Traffic improvements 30% Reduction in maintenance costs NGAP and ADAS Public-private interactions Predictive maintenance 17
18. Summary benefit from advances in sensors and edge computing diversity of sensors required to meet safety targets consider interoperability and future expansions approach reduces reliance on trackside infrastructure common positioning infrastructure available to multiple systems better positioning improves rail transport competitiveness Technology Architecture Standards Train-centric Infrastructure New capabilities Improving rail operations with innovative train positioning technologies 18
19. Thank you Joffrey Lauthier Systems Technology Lead, Transit and Rail joffrey.lauthier@wsp.com wsp.com