Secure Software for Rail Circuits in the Form of Distributed Sensors

Abstract

In order to improve the safety of train traffic, we propose to introduce into practice a new type of rail circuits, fiber-optic rail circuits. Fiber optic cable is very sensitive to external shocks, vibration and deformation, which can play a crucial role in the detection of mechanical damage of rails and wheel sets and also to improve the positioning of the rolling stock. The branches of the fiber optic cable not only serve as a conductor of information, but also serve as a sensor, as they can perceive vibration. An OTDR (Optical Time Domain Reflectometer) analyzes the backscattered light signal to determine the shape of the physical impact that caused the bending. From the time between the emission of the light signal and the receipt of the backscattered signal, the fault location is calculated. The authors offer the model of the system, which will check the security problems of the trains and the rail circuits. The software of the corresponding system is presented, using the simulation techniques. The authors present the pseudo code of the software. They also offer the testing environment for the software.