Level Crossing Gate Control Using Wireless Radio

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS

DRAFT

TECHNICAL

SPECIFICATION

For

LEVEL CROSSING GATE CONTROL EQUIPMENT

Using Wired / Wireless Data Communication

with Private Number Exchange & Voice Logging Facilities

SPECIFICATION NoRDSO / SPN / TC / 049 / 2003

Version 3.0

Issued by

Telecom Directorate

RESEARCH DESIGNS & STANDARDS ORGANISATION

LUCKNOW – 226 011

Document Control Sheet

COPY NUMBER

ISSUED BY ______SIGNATURE ______DATE ______

ISSUED TO ______

INDEX

ABBREVIATIONS

1dB Decibel

2DCDirect Current

3ACAlternate Current

4DTMFDual Tone Multi Frequency

5HzHertz

6kHzKilo Hertz

7MHzMega Hertz

8LEDLight Emitting Diode

9MOVMetal Oxide Varistor

10PCBPrinted Circuit Board

11RxReceive

12TxTransmit

13S/N RatioSignal to Noise Ratio

14AFAudio Frequency

15SWRStanding Wave Ratio

16mWmilli Watt

17uWmicro Watt

18STNStation

19SMStation Master

20ASMAssistant Station Master

21LCLevel Crossing

22VHFVery High Frequency

23UHFUltra High Frequency

24 EMIElectro-magnetic Interference

25DGS&D Directorate General of Supplies & Disposals

26DCPW Directorate of Coordination, Police Wireless

27TEC TelecommunicationEngineeringCenter

28EUTEquipment underTest

29 SMF Sealed Maintenance Free

30ULUnderwriters Laboratories

31CSACanadian Standards Association

1.GENERAL

1.0 INTRODUCTION:

This document covers the technical requirements, system features, characteristics and provisions of tests and inspection of LEVEL CROSSING GATE CONTROL EQUIPMENT using wired and wireless Data Communicationwith Private Number exchange & Voice Logging facilitiesfor use over Indian Railways and is issued under specification no. STT/SPN/TC/049/2003

1.1This specification complies with the requirements of Railway Board’s

Safety Circular No. 2000/ Safety (A&R) / 19 / 39 dated 08.05.2002

1.2The specification is intended to cover the technical provision and does not include the provisions of a contract.

1.3LOT:

A lot is constituted by “Level Crossing Gate Control Equipment using Wired and Wireless Data Communication” of the same type manufactured in the same factory during the same period, using the same process and materials.

2.GENERAL SYSTEM REQUIREMENT:

2.1System Requirement

The objective of the equipment is to establish reliable Communication between ASM and LC gates, which will control closing / opening of the gates before and after passing the train with recoding of data,voice& exchange of private number.

2.2TheASM & LC Gate Control equipment should perform as follows:-

2.2.1The system shall be designed in such a way that ASM shall be able to control at least 8 gates each on either side of the Station / Cabin from his ASM control equipment (in total 16 gates). However this can be increased or decreased depending upon the user’s requirement.

2.2.2The message sent by ASM meant for a particular LC gate shall go to that gate only.

2.2.3The message shall be initiated by pressing certain keys (push buttons) provided on the equipment. On operation of keys by ASM from his equipment, electronically recorded messages shall play in voice form in LC Gate Equipment and ASM should get its acknowledgment automatically and vice-versa.

2.2.4The message shall be in Hindi, English or any regional language. Any two languages depending upon the requirement of the Railway can be selected while placing order to the RDSO approved manufacturer.

2.2.5The System shall be compatible to work with all types of manned level crossing gates as defined in Para 4.20

2.2.6The System shall follow the method of exchanging private number between ASM and LC gate man as per Railway board Safety circular No. 2000/Safety(A&R)/19/39 dated 08.05.2002 or latest.

2.2.7ASM control equipment shall have keys like ADVISE, CLOSE, OPEN etc., so that ASM shall be able to give information to the Gate man by pressing appropriate keys. LCD panel provided on the equipment shall indicate the keys, pressed by ASM, private number inserted by ASM etc. SEND key must be there to send the information to the respective gates. LCD panel shall be of 16 Characters x 2 Lines

2.2.8LC gate equipment shall have similar types of keys like CLOSE, PROBLEM, OPEN etc., so that LC gate man shall be able to send his request or information to the ASM. LCD panel provided on the equipment shall indicate the key pressed, private number inserted by LC gate man etc. LCD panel shall be of 16 Characters x 2 Lines

2.2.9In case LC gate man is unable to execute the order of ASM for Closing the gate, he will immediately press the PROBLEM key with private number, which will intimate ASM about his inability. In Addition to that gateman should be able to promptly communicate with ASM with the help of Telephone provided with the equipment.

2.2.10All the events like gate CLOSING, OPENING, PROBLEM, MESSAGES etc must be stored in the data-logger of ASM and LC gate Control Equipment with Date, Time, Train Number, Gate Number and Exchanged Private Number of ASM and gateman, which can be retrieved directly by connecting a DOT matrix printer to a port provided on either equipment.

2.2.11ASM Control Equipment and LC gate equipment should be protected suitably by assigning password. Without correct password it shall not be possible to change the settings of parameters of the equipment. Settings of parameters mean programming of Gate ID, Controller (ASM) ID, Date, Time etc. Provision shall be made on the equipment itself for setting the parameters with the help of assigned keys by authorized Railway person.

2.2.12When stationmaster/ASM or LC gate man wishes to have voice communication, the same shall be possible by using telephone instrument provided on the equipment.

Voice Communication should be recorded with Date & Time stamping on it. Voice Storage Device shall be part of ASM Control Equipment as described in para4.22

2.2.13The ASM Control equipment and LC Gate equipment shall be provided with mechanical Locking arrangement to prevent unauthorized operation of the System. However System Power shall remain in ‘ON’ condition to receive incoming messages and information.

2.2.14 Surge protection devices

2.2.14.1 Control line Protection :

This device is to be connected before the equipment. The protection is to be provided in series with the control line. The device should be able to discharge a total surge current of 20 KA of 8/20 µs, DC breakdown voltage should be 300-400 Volts, and AC breakdown voltage at 50Hz should be 300-400 Volts. The arrester Rated voltage of the device should be 18Volt. The protection level between core-core/ core-gnd should be 25V/450V The device should be pluggable with a make before break feature. The device should be isolated from the ground with a G.D. tube. The device should be as per the IEC 61643-21 or in compliance with UL specification.

2.2.14.2 Power line protection

Power line protection is to be provided at the power supply Input. The device should be connected in parallel to the supply. Class C type Stage II protection should be connected.The arrestor should be connected as per TT system of the wiring. The device should be pluggable & should have the potential free contact for remote monitoring of the health status of the device. The device should be able to handle a surge current of 20 KA of 8/20 µs. The device should be tested as per the IEC 61643-1.

The connection scheme is provided in the Annexure-B

2.2.15Lightning Arrestor for Antenna:

The provision of lightning arrestor for stacked dipole omni-directional antenna shall be made to protect the radio set from lightning or EMI. The protection system as described shall be earthed with the equipment earth. The earth value shall be less than5 ohm.

2.2.16 An External arrangement will have to be made for light so that the keyboard and LCD Panel can be seen during night, where there is no provision of electricity at the GATE LODGE / GOOMTI. The LED / Bulb of 12V DC/15- 35 mA current consumption along with ON/OFF switch shall be provided for illumination and the same shall be connected with the battery and shall be used only in the night at the time of use of LC Gate equipment.

2.2.17 The cabinet of the equipment shall be powder coated with light colour like Off-white, Grey etc

2.3System should consist of following

2.3.15Communication Link between ASM control and LC Gate equipment.

The system shall be capable of working both on wired (2-wire overhead line or underground 4 Quad PET cable) or wireless (25 watts VHF radio set). When system is working on physical line, the Radio set shall be in hot standby mode so that in case of any failure of Physical Line, the system should automatically switch over to wireless communication with an indication on LCD panel as well as glow of RED LED provided on the equipment.

2.3.16ASM Control Equipment: The system must be designed using 16-bit or higher data bus micro-controller of reputed make like Hitachi, Philips, Motorola etc and shall consist of following items

2.3.2.1 DGS&D/DCPW approved, MIL Grade 810C/D/E complaint, 25 W VHF radio set

2.3.2.2 DGS&D/DCPW approved Omni Directional Stacked Dipole antenna having SWR less than 1.5

2.3.2.3 DGS&D/DCPW approved RG 217 coaxial cable

2.3.2.4 DGS&D/DCPW approved Wireless Power Supply (12 V/10 amps) of reputed

make like AXIOM etc.

2.3.2.5 DGS&D/DCPW approved Wireless Battery (12V, 65 AH) of reputed make like

EXIDE, S/F, Hitachi, Amar Raja etc

2.3.2.6 DGS&D/DCPW approved Solar panel (70 Watt, 19.2 V nominal) of reputed make like Tata BP, CEL etc.

2.3.2.7 Telephone Instruments TEC/ CACT approved.

2.3.2.8 80 column DOT matrix printer of reputed make like EPSON. WIPRO, TVS etc.

(OPTIONAL)

2.3.17LC Gate Equipment: The system shall be designed using 16-bit micro-controller of Reputed make like Hitachi, Philips, Motorola etc and shall consists of following items:

2.3.17.1DGS&D/DCPW approved, MIL Grade 810C/D/E complaint, 25 W VHF radio.

2.3.17.2DGS&D/DCPW approved Omni Directional Stacked Dipole antenna SWR less than 1.5

2.3.17.3DGS&D/DCPW approved RG 217 coaxial cable

2.3.17.4DGS&D/DCPW approved Wireless Power Supply (12 V/10 amps) of Reputed make like AXIOM etc.

2.3.17.5DGS&D/DCPW approved Wireless Battery (12V, 65 AH) of reputed make like EXIDE, S/F, Hitachi, Amar Raja etc

2.3.17.6DGS&D/DCPW approved Solar panel (70 Watt, 19.2 V nominal) of reputed make like Tata BP, CEL etc.

2.3.17.7Telephone Instrument TEC /CACT approved

1. SYSTEM DIAGRAM

Figure 3.1

......

Figure 3.2

Network Of LC GATE Control Equipment

Using Wired / Wireless Data Communication

4. SYSTEM FEATURES

4.1The system shall be designed using micro-controller with a data and voice storage and retrieval facilities. It shall meet all the technical requirements as described in Para 2.0

4.2ASM shall have facility to instruct the gateman for Opening or closing of the gate with scheme of exchanging private number as per Railway board directives for different types of manned level crossing gates. Selected train number, gate number, private number shall be visible on LCD panel of ASM control unit before SEND button is pressed by ASM.

4.3At the selected LC gate the message in the local language for expected arrival time of train, its number and direction with private number shall be communicated and remain in repeat mode. Acknowledgment of commencement of playing of message on LC gate equipment should be provided on ASM control unit by automatic glow of ACK LED

4.4Gate man shall inform the Opening of LC Gate to the ASM by pressing OPEN Switch. Local voice message for requesting to open gate shall be repeated at ASM control unit.

4.5ASM control unit shall have capability to instruct the gate man to OPEN the gate. Voice message of opening the gate should be played through speaker in the LC gate unit.

4.6Similarly ASM control unit shall have capability to instruct the gate man not to open the gate. Voice message shall be played through speaker in the LC gate unit advising not to open the gate.

4.7Inability for closing the gate for any unforeseen reason can also be informed by the gate man to the ASM by pressing PROBLEM button with private number. Local voice message of LC gate problem with private number shall be played through speaker in the ASM control unit. In addition to that, Gateman shall immediately talk to ASM / SM on duty by using Telephone provided on the equipment. Whenever voice communication takes place, it will be recorded in Voice Storage Device of ASM Control Equipment with Date and Time stamping on it.

4.8Priority of Emergency Call over On-going Call

Whenever ASM is having communication with any of the Gatemen, then another Gateman shall not be able to listen the ongoing conversation. However if any other gate man shall have an urgent message to be conveyed to the ASM, then he shall be able to send the message to the ASM by pressing PROBLEM Button with private No. The same shall be displayed on the LCD of ASM Unit with RED LED indication. The emergency message also be played / reproduced on the ASM unit. In that case ASM shall promptly attend the emergency call by terminating the On-Going Voice Communication

4.9Announcement of voice message shall continue in the ASM control unit, unless and until ‘ACK’ button of ASM control unit is pressed by ASM/SM on duty.

4.10Announcement of voice message shall continue in the LC gate unit, unless and until ‘ACK’ button of LC gate unit is pressed by Gateman on duty.

4.11Voice communication shall be possible through telephone between ASM and gateman. Voice communication shall be duplex when system is working on 2-wire Physical Line. Similarly voice communication shall be semi duplex/ simplex when system is working through wireless on VHF radio set. All Voice Communication shall be recorded in Voice Storage Device of ASM Control Equipment.

4.12 (Optional): The system software can be modified to have communication between one gateman to another gateman depending upon the requirement with the intervention of ASM/SM on duty. However ASM / SM on duty will have overriding facility to send messages to the gates even if he is engaged with Telephone communication.

4.13The ASM Control Equipment and LC Gate equipment shall be provided with mechanical locking arrangement to prevent unauthorized operation of the System. However System Power will remain in ‘ON’ condition to receive incoming messages and information. In that case it is not possible to operate the equipment, even receipt of on-going voice messages cannot be stopped.

4.14On either side, there may be a number of level crossing gates which are required to be CLOSED / OPENED, there shall be a facility of “Group Messaging” to all the gates to facilitate quick transfer of same information to all the gates on either side depending on the requirement (Upside or Downside). However information received from the LC Gate shall be in serial mode and same shall be recorded with time and date.

4.15It shall be possible to know the Gate status (CLOSED or OPENED) by using the potential free input contact available in the gate equipment. This facility can be used to relay the Gate closure / open condition by using suitable signaling arrangement as per rule.

4.16Some limited solution shall be made for train details where train number is of alpha-numeric like goods train, Saloon, Railway engine, Trolleyetc. The same shall be informed by the manufacturer to the Railway user.

4.17Normally voice as well as data communication between ASM Control unit and LC gate unit will be through 2-wire physical media. Incase of LINE failure, alternate wireless medium shall work. There shall be dynamic switching to select first available working medium.

4.18‘LINE’ or ‘RADIO’ indication shall appear on ASM control unit as well as LC gate unit so that advise to the maintenance staff shall be made without delay in case of LINE failure.

4.19System must have a provision to operate from any of the two available sources of power supply i.e. Electricity and battery. However Solar Panel must be another source to charge the battery and this shall not be part of the equipment.

4.20System shall have facility to exchangePrivate Number for different type of gates as described in Railway board safety circular no 2000/safety(A&R)/19/39 whose description is as given below.

4.20.1Traffic level crossing gate, interlocked with stop signals of station, provided with telephone, with normal position ‘ Open to road traffic’

• Gate closing instruction with private number, from ASM to Gateman
• Gateman gives private number to ASM as acknowledgement.

4.20.2Traffic level crossing gate, Non - interlocked with stop signals, provided with telephone, with normal position ‘ Closed to road traffic’.

• Gate open request, from gateman to ASM.
• Gate open instruction with private number, from ASM to gateman.
• Gate close information with private number, from gate-man to ASM.
• Confirmation of Gate closure from ASM as acknowledgement to gate man with private number.

4.20.3Engineering Level crossing gate, Non-interlocked , provided with telephone, with normal position ‘Open to road Traffic’

• Train arrival information from ASM to gateman with Private number.
• Gateman acknowledges ASM with private number.
• Gate closing instruction from ASM to gateman with private number.
• Gateman acknowledges ASM with private number.
• Gate open instruction from ASM to gateman with private number.

4.20.4Engineering level crossing gate, Non interlocked , provided with telephone, with normal position ‘ Closed to road Traffic’

• Gate open permission from gateman to ASM.
• Gate open instruction from ASM to gateman with private number.
• Gate close information with private number, from gateman to ASM.
• Confirmation of gate closure from ASM as acknowledgement to gateman with private number

4.20.5Engineering level crossing gate, interlocked with gate signals, provided with telephone, with normal position ‘Open to road traffic’

• Gate closing instruction with private number, from ASM to Gateman.
• Gateman gives private number to ASM as acknowledgement.

4.21Data logger: