Level Crossings Research Articles

Design and Concept of Renewable Energy Driven Auto-Detectable Railway Level Crossing Systems in Bangladesh

Bangladesh’s railway system mostly uses typical manual railway crossing techniques or boom gates through its 2955.53 km rail route all over the country. Accidents frequently happen at railway crossings due to the lack of quickly operating gate systems, and to fewer safety measures at the railway crossing as well. Currently, there are very few automatic railway crossing systems available (without obstacle detectors). Additionally, all of them are dependent on the national power grid, without a backup plan for any emergency cases. Bangladesh is still running a bit behind in generating enough power for its consumption; hence, it is not possible to have a continuous power supply at all times all over the countryside. We aim to design and develop a smart railway crossing system with an obstacle detector to prevent common types of accidents at railway crossing points. We use two infrared (IR) sensors to operate the railway crossing systems, which are controlled by an Arduino Uno. This newly designed level crossing system is run with the help of sustainable renewable energy, which is cost-effective and eco-friendly, and applied under the national green energy policy towards achieving sustainable development in Bangladesh as a part of the global sustainable goal to face climate change challenges. We have summarized the simulated the results of several renewable energy sources, including a hybrid system, and optimized the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) and the payback periods.

Spin parity effects in a monoaxial chiral ferromagnetic chain

While spin parity effects, physics crucially depending on whether the spin quantum number $S$ is half-odd integral or integral, have for decades been a source of new developments for the quantum physics of antiferromagnetic spin chains, the investigation into their possible ferromagnetic counterparts has remained largely unchartered, especially in the fully quantum (as opposed to the semiclassical) regime. Here we present such studies for monoaxial chiral ferromagnetic spin chains. We start by examining magnetization curves for finite-sized systems, where a magnetic field is applied perpendicular to the helical axis. For half-odd integer $S$, the curves feature discontinuous jumps identified as a series of level crossings, each accompanied by a shift of the crystal momentum $k$ by an amount of $\ensuremath{\pi}$. The corresponding curves for integer valued $S$ are continuous and exhibit crossover processes. For the latter case, $k=0$ throughout. These characteristics are observed numerically when the strength of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) $D$ is comparable to or larger than that of the ferromagnetic exchange interaction $J$. Solitons are known to be responsible for stepwise changes seen in magnetization curves in the classical limit. These findings therefore prompt us to revise the notion of a soliton, for arbitrary $S$, into a quantum mechanical entity. To unravel this phenomenon at the fully quantum level as is appropriate to spin chains with small $S$, we examine in detail special limiting Hamiltonians amenable to rigorous analysis, consisting of only the DMI and the Zeeman energy. Dubbed the $DH$ model (for $S=\frac{1}{2}$) and the projected $DH$ ($\mathrm{p}DH$) model (for general $S$), they have a set of $2S$ conserved quantities, each of which is the number of solitons of a specific integer-valued height (as measured in the ${S}_{z}$ basis), which ranges from 1 to $2S$. We discuss how to determine the exact crystal momentum of the lowest-energy state belonging to a sector with a given set of the $2S$ soliton numbers. Combined with energetic considerations, this information enables us to reproduce the spin parity effect in the magnetization curves. Finally, we show that the ground states of the special models have substantial numerical overlap with those for generic systems with a finite exchange interaction, suggesting the same physics to be valid there as well.

Vibration analyses of railway systems using proposed neural predictors

Due to travelling on railway systems; there are many gaps and problems in cross areas. Therefore; it is necessary and very important to establish intelligent crossing systems in such areas. On the other hand, it is not possible for trains to stop or brake immediately against an obstacle due to their high speed and inertia. For this reason, it is necessary to work on the safety/warning of the other main factors and necessities (pedestrians and vehicles) in level crossings. This experimental investigation is carried out by using an experimental real-time train and crossing systems. The main vibration parameters are analysed by using neural networks. First, the dynamics of the train-rail system related to level crossings are examined, and the vibrations created by the train on rails are measured at different speeds. Then three types of proposed neural networks predictors, Levenberg-Marquardt backpropagation (LMBP), scaled conjugate gradient backpropagation (SCGB) and BFGS quasi-Newton backpropagation (BFGS) are used to predict the vibration of the train-rail system. From the results, it is seen that the proposed LMBP is more suitable for analysing and predicting the vibration of the train-rail system. It is clear that the speeds of the trains approaching the level crossing can be estimated from the vibration of the trains on the rails.

Automatic railway gate control using Arduino

The mini-project work undertaken by us involves the design & development of an automatic railway gate control and alarm system using Arduino. It has been noticed that a lot of fatalities of lives occur everyday due to manually operated rail gates. These happen mainly at places where the rail road passes through a city, locality or unmanned gates of the crossing zones. Currently, gatemen mainly operate on the assumption of a train departure schedule from the station to reach a crossing zone Accidents are more likely to happen in such cases, causing severe damage to human lives and properties near the rail crossings. The Programmed Railroad Entryway Control Framework utilizing IR Sensor and Arduino centres around orderly traffic signal of railroad entryways that are both monitored and automated system.

Residual risk in Automatic Train Protection systems: evaluation and management

The paper on typical rail operation hazards, such as Signal Passed at Danger (SPAD) and Failed Braking Application by Driver (FBAD). The protection against these hazards is normally by Automatic Train Protection (ATP) systems and emergency braking activation, operated by the onboard systems over a certain Minimum Release Speed (MRS). The determination of such speed is a key design parameter related with the achievable performances in terms of safety and capacity. The present research deal with a systematic analysis of the operational conditions potentially affecting the determination of such speed values by modelling the dynamics of the problem taking into account the features of the infrastructures (tracks layout, gradients, etc.), the vehicles (mass, braking performances, etc.) and the geography of signalling and ATP systems themselves. In fact, the position of main signals protecting the dangerous points (switches, level crossings, etc.) emerges as key player, affecting both the design and the operation of the systems.

Automated vehicles passing level crossings

Automated vehicles passing level crossings

Safe device solutions in railway traffic control systems

The paper deals with the problems of safe solutions of railway traffic control systems, using the example of modern solutions of protection systems applied at railway level crossings. The need for reliable, modern and safe railway traffic control devices has forced manufacturers in the railway industry to use high quality microprocessors in their structures. Devices used to safety traffic at intersections of railroads and roadways in one level shall be absolutely operational and reliable. Such solutions are the modern systems of automatic level crossing signaling made in computer technology. They use structural redundancy, programmable logic controllers, and have extensive self-diagnostic and technical diagnostic mechanisms. The paper presents selected analyses of railway traffic safety on the example of the automatic level crossing of system BUES 2000 type by Scheidt & Bachmann.

Real-time dense traffic detection using lightweight backbone and improved path aggregation feature pyramid network

An informed traffic situation at a grade crossing is essential for traffic management. Current detection systems are expensive in computation and unsatisfactory in dense traffic instance detection. This work proposes a lightweight dense traffic detection network (DTDNet-Lite) for improved detection performance to address the issues above and benefit the development of the portable traffic monitoring system, especially at the railroad-highway grade crossing areas. An improved path aggregation feature pyramid network (iPAFPN) is developed for multiple-scale feature fusion. A lightweight backbone, ResNet18, is employed to extract features efficiently and accurately. Comprehensive experiments have been conducted on the VOC 2007 dataset and our customized grade crossing dataset. Results indicate the superiority of DTDNet-Lite, paving the way for the deployment of efficient embedded artificial intelligence (AI) computing devices for better traffic monitoring at grade crossings.

«РОЗУМНИЙ СВІТЛОФОР» – ВПЛИВ НА БЕЗПЕКУ ДОРОЖНЬОГО РУХУ

Road safety and measures to ensure it are a priority area of our state’s activity in view of the content of Article 3 of the Constitution of Ukraine, where a person, his life and health, safety are recognized as the highest social value in Ukraine. Reducing the number of accidents, reducing the severity of the consequences of traffic accidents, and especially reducing road accidents with fatalities to a minimum is the main task of specialists who are engaged in improving road safety. Traffic lights are one of the main components of road infrastructure, they are an optical signaling device designed to regulate traffic vehicles and pedestrians on roads and railway crossings. It is this device that regulates the movement of vehicles and pedestrians on the roadway and helps to avoid traffic accidents. Today, the traffic light has entered our lives so much that it is even difficult to imagine how it is possible to regulate traffic flows and ensure the safety of pedestrians on the roads without it. Adaptive or so-called “smart traffic lights” are considered the most modern type of traffic light regulation. Smart traffic lights are modern equipment that allows you to measure the intensity of traffic at the intersection and quickly, in real time, change regulation programs to reduce traffic jams. Artificial intelligence itself analyzes flow parameters, time and date, intensity to improve traffic. It is worth noting that despite the obvious advantages, smart traffic lights will not be able to completely solve the problem of traffic jams, but they will help to partially solve the problem of traffic accidents and support the ecological situation, since the level of emissions of harmful substances into the atmosphere is reduced thanks to the smooth movement of traffic. Keywords: street and road network, traffic jam, smart traffic light, traffic flow.

Underpass Development on the Train Cross, South Tambun Bekasi

This study aims to improve safety and security for vehicle users passing through the tunnel, identify the construction of underpasses at railroad crossings, minimize queue lengths and delays while crossing on Jalan Sultan Hasanudin, Pasar Tambun, Bekasi and improve road smoothness, and provide recommendations for the need for pedestrian facilities on the Jalan Sultan Hasanudin section. There is a potential safety risk for pedestrians, because there are no pedestrian crossing facilities. Then analyze the benefits of underpass construction on level crossings for road users. The method used is descriptive quantitative analysis, namely in the form of calculating traffic performance, technical requirements of the railway line, the benefits of the underpass for train operations and the need for pedestrian crossing facilities. The results of the analysis identify the need for underpass maintenance costs for safety and security for passing vehicle users. It is necessary to add a zebra cross and pelican on Jalan Sultan Hasanudin on pedestrian facilities to cross, close the u-turn of the Ataqwa mosque which is moved to the u-turn access of the police station, south Tambun, then the construction of the tunnel is very useful for rail operations and road users.

New Anti-Derailment System in Railway Crossings

The objective of this paper is to design a new system to reduce the risk of derailment at crossings, which are critical points in railway lines. Crossings are a common element in conventional lines of current railway systems and are the only point on the track where there is a discontinuity. Our proposal is based on adding an element to the crossing that occupies part of the crossing gap, providing a larger support surface next to the wing rail, such that the wheel does not fall into the gap. The lateral force—which is the most influential parameter in derailments—is substantially decreased, thus reducing the risk of derailment due to lifting on the rail. The proposed approach also increases the safety of the dynamic behaviour, which has a direct impact on passenger comfort and influences the service life of both the rolling stock and the track, thus reducing the cost and even increasing safety at higher speeds. It has a simple structure that is easy to assemble and does not interrupt traffic during installation. The results of simulations using this innovative solution indicate a significant reduction in lateral stresses and strains on the track, which undoubtedly produces an improvement in traffic safety; however, the results cannot be fully quantified in terms of accident reduction with only the data obtained from simulations. Therefore, it was concluded that implementation of the new crossing design provides better conditions for rolling stock to run on turnouts, increasing safety by reducing the risk of derailment. Nevertheless, it will be necessary to carry out a program of experimental tests, which we intend to make the subject of future research.

PREVALENCE AND STRUCTURE OF DENTAL ANOMALIES AMONG SCHOOL AGE CHILDREN IN KARAGANDA REGION

Objective: The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence and structure of dentoalveolar anomalies (DNA) in school-age children living in the Karaganda region. Materials and methods: a study was conducted of 300 schoolchildren aged 12-14 living in the Karaganda region. Statistical data results are processed in SPSS software version 16.0. Results and discussions. After the examination, the following data were obtained: the incidence of dentoalveolar anomalies was 68%, the number of children with orthognathic bite was 42%; out of 58% of children, the following types of bites are noted: level bite (16%), distal bite (15%), deep bite (14%), cross bite (7%), open bite (6%) and mesial or prognathism (4% ).At the same time, the structure of dentoalveolar anomalies is presented as follows: anomaly in the position and eruption of individual teeth (47%), malocclusion (42%) cases. Conclusion. In the course of the study, the prevalence and structure of dentoalveolar anomalies was determined.

Minimal model of excited-state symmetry breaking in symmetric dimers and covalently linked dyads.

A model of symmetry breaking (SB) charge separation in symmetric excited dyads and dimers is presented. The minimal model should include at least four basis electronic states due to a small energy gap between the locally excited and charge separated (zwitterionic) states of the chromophores. There are electronic couplings between all these states. The model includes the following interactions: (i) the Coulomb interaction between charges on the chromophores of the dyad, (ii) the interaction of the dipole moment of the asymmetric dyad with the solvent polarization, and (iii) the electronic-vibrational interaction. SB becomes possible only if the intensity of these interactions exceeds a threshold value. The threshold vanishes if there is a degeneration of the levels. Unusual resonant dependencies of the dissymmetry degree on the model parameters are revealed. Resonances arise due to the degeneration of energy levels. The ranges of the parameters in which energy level crossings occur are established. The oddity lies in the dependence of the resonance shape on the parameters of the model. A variation in the electronic couplings and the energy gap between the locally excited and ionic states, which leads to a broadening of the resonance, simultaneously leads to an increase in the resonant height. This opens up wide possibilities for controlling the charge separation degree. The predictions of the theory agree with the available experimental data. The charge separation SB is predicted to accompany by SB in the excitation distribution on the branches of dyads.

Estimating heating times in periodically driven quantum many-body systems via avoided crossing spectroscopy

Periodic driving of a quantum (or classical) many-body system can alter the system's properties significantly and therefore has emerged as a promising way to engineer exotic quantum phases, such as topological insulators and discrete time crystals. A major limitation in such setups, is that generally interacting, driven systems will heat up over time and lose the desired properties. Understanding the relevant timescales is thus an important topic in the field and so far, there have only been a few approaches to determine heating times for a concrete system quantitatively, and in a computationally efficient way. In this paper, we propose a new approach, based on building the heating rate from microscopic processes, encoded in avoided level crossings of the Floquet propagator. We develop a method able to resolve individual crossings and show how to construct the heating rate based on these. The method is closely related to the Fermi golden rule approach for weak drives, but can go beyond it, since it captures nonperturbative effects by construction. This enables our method to be applicable in scenarios such as the heating time of discrete time crystals or frequency-dependent couplings, which are very relevant for Floquet engineering, where previously no efficient methods for estimating heating times were available.

The concept of improving safety on D-grade railway level crossings

The article discusses the safety issue on railway level crossings, specifically emphasizing D-grade crossings, i.e., not equipped with any safety devices. Such crossings pose the most significant challenge to improving railway system safety. The lack of any warning or safety devices causes the safe passage through these crossings dependent only on the car driver his concentration and observation of legal requirements (especially enforcing stopping before the STOP sign). Due to that, it is suggested to introduce devices allowing for automatic identification and registration of violations by drivers. Recorded material will be handed over to the relevant authorities (e.g., Police, General Inspectorate for Road Transport), which will undertake appropriate actions. The article also attempts to assess the influence of such a solution on the number of accidents on given level crossings and their outcome, among others, on improving railway safety.

Pembelajaran Tentang Tugas dan Wewenang Bagi Penjaga Perlintasan Sebidang dengan Jalan Raya

Learning is a knowledge transfer process involving the system in the education world: teachers/educators, students, materials, goals, and tools. The purpose of this education and training is to transfer and share knowledge and experience between instructors and training participants regarding the duties and authorities of crossing guards on a railroad plot with a highway. The method used is face-to-face learning with 2 JP or 100 minutes. The teacher gives a questionnaire that the training participants fill out. The questionnaire contains the latest education, work area, and 13 (thirteen) questions related to the duties and authorities of a level crossing guard with a highway. The results of the questionnaire obtained that there were still 6 participants whose total percentage of answers was still below 60%, and there were still 14 participants whose percentage of responses was still below 70%. There are 5 participants whose answer percentage is 100%. Based on this, learning is still needed to increase the knowledge and competence of each individual because safety at level crossings is an absolute thing. After all, it is related to the safety of lives and objects of road users who pass at level crossings.

A Method of Spatial Processing for a Railway Crossing Control Radar System

Introduction. Railway crossing is a source of increased danger for vehicles and pedestrians. To increase the safety of traffic at railway crossings, radar systems based on antenna arrays (AA) can be used. The important requirements for radar at a railway crossing are a wide field of view (up to 90 degrees) and, at the same time, a high accuracy in determining coordinates. Therefore, an analysis of methods for constructing AAs and spatial processing for an automatic traffic control system at a railway crossing seems to be a relevant research task. Aim. Design of a method for constructing the topology of an AA and spatial processing of a radar system for monitoring traffic at a railway crossing, providing a wide field of view with a high accuracy in determining the coordinates of targets. Materials and methods. The considered method was developed based on the theory of space-time signal processing. The design of the analyzed AA topologies was carried out by the finite element method (FEM) and the finite differ-ence time domain method (FDTD) based on segments of a microstrip transmission line. Results. A method for constructing a filled transceiver antenna array and a beamforming algorithm, which provide high angular resolution and unambiguous measurement of the target's angular coordinates in a wide field of view with relatively low computational complexity, was developed. Mathematical and electrodynamic modeling of the designed AA topologies was performed. Adjusted values of the radiation patterns (RP) of the transmitting and receiving AA were obtained, which showed good agreement with the calculated values. The main design solutions regarding the construction of AA radar for a railway crossing control system are presented to provide a wide field of view when determining the coordinates of targets. Conclusion. It was shown that the width of the resulting RP can be reduced by several times compared to the width of the receiving RP when using two transmitting antennas located at the edges of the aperture. This approach is similar to that used in the MIMO technology, although requiring no coherence of transmission channels and use of a system of orthogonal signals. The findings determine the prospects of using the developed method.

Identifying Risk Factors for Autos and Trucks on Highway-Railroad Grade Crossings Based on Mixed Logit Model.

This study aimed to determine different influencing factors associated with the injury outcomes of heavy vehicle and automobile drivers at highway-rail grade crossings (HRGCs). A mixed logit model was adopted using the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) dataset (n = 194,385 for 2011-2020). The results show that drivers' injury severities at HRGCs are enormously different between automobile and truck/truck-trailer drivers. It was found that vehicle speed and train speed significantly affect the injury severity in automobile and truck drivers. Driver characteristics such as gender and driver actions significantly impact the injury severity in automobile drivers, while HRGC attributes such as open space, rural areas, and type of warning device become significant factors in truck models. This study gives us a better understanding of the differences in the types of determinants between automobiles and trucks and their implications on differentiated policies for car and truck drivers.

Railroad Crossings Seen from Indonesia's Positive Law

Introduction: Rail transportation is part of land transportation in Indonesia. The extended rail network has level crossings, namely the crossing of railroads and highways. Judging from the existing laws in Indonesia, the law mentions avoiding accidents at level crossings. Several factors influence law enforcement at railroad crossings, including legal, law enforcement, facilities, community, and cultural factors. There needs to be legal awareness from the side of law violators themselves, law enforcement officers themselves, and the government side. It is also necessary to increase cooperation between networks of law enforcement officers in crossing railroad crossings. Method: The research method used in this study is comparative descriptive. Result: The public is stated to have not understood the regulations that discuss railroad crossings listed in Law Number 23 of 2007, which discusses railways. In Law Number 22 of 2009, which discusses Traffic and Road Transportation, it is stated that Government Regulation 56 of 2009 discusses the Implementation of Railways and Government Regulation Number 72 of 2009 concerning Railway Traffic and Transportation. Conclusion: The law of crossing a railroad plot according to positive law in Indonesia has a position as a reference for travelling a railroad plot as has been written based on: Article 124 of Law Number 23 of 2007, Article 78 of Government Regulation Number 56 of 2009, Article 110 paragraph (1) Government Regulation Number 72 of 2009 & Article 114 of Law Number 22 of 2009.

Single-spin Landau-Zener-Stückelberg-Majorana interferometry of Zeeman-split states with strong spin-orbit interaction in a double quantum dot

Single spin state evolution induced by the Landau-Zener-St\"uckelberg-Majorana (LZSM) interference in a Zeeman-spit four level system in a periodically driven double quantum dot is studied theoretically by the Floquet stroboscopic method. An interplay between spin-conserving and spin-flip tunneling processes with the Electric Dipole Spin Resonance (EDSR) that is induced in an individual dot and enhanced by the LZSM multiple level crossings with the neighboring quantum dot is investigated as a function of the microwave (MW) frequency, driving amplitude, interdot detuning, and magnetic field. A number of special points in the parameter space are identified, out of which where all the three features are merged. Under this triple-crossing resonance condition the interdot tunneling is combined with a fast spin evolution in each dot at the EDSR frequency. Harmonics of the EDSR are revealed in the spin-dependent tunneling maps versus variable magnetic field and MW frequency. The results are applicable for both electron and hole systems with strong spin-orbit interaction and may be useful for developing new time-efficient schemes of the spin control and readout in qubit devices.