Microcontroller Based Model Design of a Train Collision Avoidance System (original) (raw)

This article introduces a design concept to curb the rail accidents such as collisions and derailment as obtaining in theSouthern African Region. The design comprises apparatus for detecting the presence of an approaching locomotive within a specified limited area, while being insensitive to the presence of objects outside the specified region and triggering braking circuits which will stop the train. The system is integrated with the braking system of the train and is capable of detecting the possibility of collisions in real time. The design is intended to automate fully the communication system between locomotives so that rail traffic accidents can be minimized or eliminated.Forauthentication purposes the design incorporates addresses of encoder and decoder that are matched, this way the detection unit will never respond to stray signals or other signals within the spectrum.The main advantage of this electronically controlled braking system would be reduced braking distance and increased railway traffic under safe conditions. This paper presents a solution that uses a microcontroller to execute a predetermined software algorithm for precise braking of the train.