Detecting Malfunctions in the Measuring Circuits of Railway Automation and Remote-Control Systems for the Safety of Train Traffic

Abstract: Modern systems of railway automation and remote control enable movement of trains with a minimum time interval. The decision on the safe distance between trains is made after measuring the movement parameters (velocity and current coordinates) and forming control signals based on them. Errors and malfunctions of sensors and corresponding connecting cables (measuring circuits) can lead to hazardous situations and affect the overall safety of train traffic. The basic algorithms making it possible to detect malfunctions automatically and to put the system into a protective condition in time are considered. The quantitative assessment is based on determining the probability of a false failure and the probability of an undetectable failure. To determine the boundaries of a possible change in the current value of a measured quantity, it is proposed to solve the implicit problem of finding the corresponding parameter within the acceptable limits of preset undetectable failure and false failure probabilities. Solutions have been obtained for several measured signal distribution laws at a known probability distribution density for errors in converting an analog quantity into the digital form; it has been assumed that the conversion error and the measured signal do not depend on each other. © 2022, Allerton Press, Inc.