ADVANCED SAFETY APPLICATIONS FOR RAILWAY CROSSING

ADVANCED SAFETY APPLICATIONS FOR RAILWAY CROSSING 1 HARSHUL BALANI, 2 CHARU GUPTA, 3 KRATIKA SUKHWAL 1,2,3 B.TECH (ECE), Poornima College Of Engineering, RTU E-mail; 1 harshul.balani@gmail.com, 2 charu95g@gmail.com, 3 kratikapce049@poornima.org Abstract Indian railway network is one of the world's largest rail networks comprising 115,000km of track over a route of 65,808km and 7,112 stations with a number of railway crossing gates which are both manned and unmanned.now the question arises whether it is safe in today's scenario to still have manned railway crossing gates or if they are unmanned, how efficient are they??? So to come up with a solution, our paper deals with automatic railway crossing gate operations (i.e.) automatic railway gate at a level crossing replacing the gates operated by the gatekeepers corroborated with some other safety applications as well. Our project mainly focuses on enhancement of efficiency of railway crossing gates with respect to their operations and safety applications in comparison with the existing technologies. Using simple electronic components such as IR sensors and microcontroller amalgamated with RF technology can be useful to come up with a setup comprising of sensing of arrival of the train, automatic opening and closing of level crossing gates, displaying time of arrival of train at the gate for common man's convenience and an intruder-alarm circuit as a safety feature of our real time system. Finally as the operation being automatic; their are less chances of error due to manual operation and is time efficient, which is main crux of our project. I. INTRODUCTION The place where track and highway/road intersects each other at the same level is known as level crossing. There are mainly two types of level crossing they are manned level crossing and unmanned level crossing. Manned level crossing is classified into spl.class, A Class, B Class, C Class. Unmanned level crossing is classified into C Class, D Class. Railways being the cheapest mode of transportation are preferred over all the other means. Whereas at other side, we go through the daily newspapers that many railway accidents occurring at manned railway crossings. This is mainly due to the carelessness in manual operations or lack of workers. We, in this project have come up with a solution for the same. Using efficient electronic components we have tried to automate the control of railway crossing gates. As a train approaches the railway crossing from either side, the sensors placed at a certain distance from the gate detects the approaching train and accordingly controls the operation of the gate. When the wheels of the train moves over, both tracks are shorted to ground and this acts as a signal to the microcontroller indicating train arrival. alarm and a LCD display which will show, that how far the train is and the countdown of around 7 minutes will start in LCD display which will make the locals to aware about the coming train. Also according to the project, if the speed of every train is prohibited to the average of 90-100 km/hr. when comes in the range of 10km of any crossing, then the timing circuit can be fixed according to it and this project will work at its best to ensure safety. So through these kinds of project applications, chances of accidents while crossing rails can be reduced to very low level. Also, for safety procedures, some new applications are added like, IR sensor will be placed near to the crossing, which can detect any intrusion of human being or any animal, and if any intrusion occurs, like it generally happens in India, after the crossing gates are closed. So, the sensor will detect it, and alarm will buzz, so through this, any intrusion can be prevented. Another application is, that an another sensor can be place at some distance from the railway crossing, so that when the train is suppose to arrive, a sensor can detect the coming train which is around 10 km distance far from the crossing, and an alarm can be buzzed to warn the locals about the coming train with the help of 49

Block Diagram: - Block Diagram Description: - The block diagram consists of six major blocks, they are IR sensors, Microcontroller ATmega16, L293D driver, Servo motor, RF Transceiver, gate, alarm, LCD and power supply. This block diagram represents the working of unmanned and advanced automatic crossing, in which when the coming train is detected by the IR sensor, it sends signal to microcontroller with the help of RF transceiver s, which will command the L293D driver to start and control the servo motor which will let the bridge to go down and open automatically, also will warn the locale s for the arrival of train automatically with the help of alarm and LCD which will show the countdown time related to the distance and speed of train. For this purpose, 5V power supply is used as an input. Components and System Requirements:- HARDWARE IMPLEMENTATION:- MICRO CONTROLLER: - It is designed using 8051 microcontroller to avoid railway accidents happening at unattended railway gates. The Micro controller is a low power; high performance CMOS 8-bit micro controller with 4K bytes of Flash programmable and erasable read only memory (PEROM). The on-chip Flash allows the program memory to be reprogrammed in-system or by a conventional non-volatile memory programmer. By combining a versatile 8-bit CPU with Flash on a monolithic chip, the Atmel is a powerful microcomputer, which provides a highly flexible and cost- effective solution to many embedded control applications. By using this controller the data inputs from the smart card is passed to the Parallel Port of the pc and accordingly the software responds. The IDE for writing the embedded program used is KEIL software SERVO MOTOR: - This is used to open and close the gates automatically when it is rotated clock wise or anticlockwise direction. A servomotor is a rotary actuator or linear actuator that allows for linear position, velocity and acceleration. It consists of a suitable motor coupled to a sensor for position feedback. It also requires a relatively sophisticated controller, often a dedicated module designed specifically for use with servomotors. The motor rotates in a certain angle for a given electrical input (signal). Servomotors are not a specific class of motor although the term servomotor is often used to refer to a motor suitable for use in a closed-loop control system. Servomotors are used in applications such as robotics, CNC machinery or automated manufacturing. As the name suggests, a servomotor is a servomechanism. More specifically, it is a closed-loop servomechanism that uses position feedback to control its motion and final position. The input to its control is some signal, either analogue or digital, representing the position commanded for the output shaft. 50

Motor driver L293d: - Block Diagram- a source of light energy in the infrared spectrum. It is a light emitting diode (LED) that is used in order to transmit infrared signals from a remote control. In general, the more they are in quantity and the better the emitters are, the stronger and wider the resulting signal is. A remote with strong emitters can often be used without directly pointing at the desired device. Infrared emitters are also partly responsible for limits on the range of frequencies that can be controlled. An IR emitter generates infrared light that transmits information and commands from one device to another. Typically one device receives the signal then passes the infrared (IR) signal through the emitter to another device. IR RECEIVER - The receiver circuit consists of the following components: 1. Resistors. 2. IR LED. The receiver unit consists of a sensor and its associated circuitry. In receiver section, the first part is a sensor, which detects IR pulses transmitted by IR-LED. Whenever a train crosses the sensor, the output of IR sensor momentarily transits through a low state. As a result the mono-stable is triggered and a short pulse is applied to the port pin of the 8051 microcontroller. On receiving a pulse from the sensor circuit, the controller activates the circuitry required for closing and opening of the gates and for track switching. L29D is a typical Motor driver or Motor Driver IC which is used to drive DC on either direction. It is a 16-pin IC which can control a set of two DC motors simultaneously in any direction. It means that you can control two DC motor with a single L293D IC. Dual H-bridge Motor Driver integrated circuit (IC).The l293d can drive small and quiet big motors as well. ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF L293D ADVANTAGES- Efficient way of speed control of DC motor. Produces more torque. Produces less noise. DISADVANTAGES- It is not applicable for AC motor. IR SENSORS: - Two IR sensor pairs (331,333) are used for transmitting and receiving signals. IR CIRCUITS - This circuit has two stages: a transmitter unit and a receiver unit. The transmitter unit consists of an infrared LED and its associated circuitry. IR TRANSMITTER The transmitter circuit consists of the following components: 1. Resistors 2. IR LED The IR LED emitting infrared light is put on in the transmitting unit. Infrared LED is driven through transistor BC 548. An infrared emitter, or IR emitter, is RF MODULE An RF module (radio frequency module) is a (usually) small electronic device used to transmit and/or receive radio signals between two devices. In an embedded system it is often desirable to communicate with another device wirelessly. This wireless communication may be accomplished through optical communication or through radio frequency (RF) communication. For many applications the medium of choice is RF since it does not require line of sight. RF communications incorporate a transmitter and/or receiver. This RF module comprises of RF transmitter and RF receiver. An RF transmitter receives serial data and transmits it wirelessly through RF through its antenna connected at pin4. 51

RF Transmitter modules An RF transmitter module is a small PCB sub-assembly capable of transmitting a radio wave and modulating that wave to carry data. RF Receiver modules An RF receiver module receives the modulated RF signal, and demodulates it. There are two types of RF receiver modules super heterodyne receivers and super-regenerative receivers. THE ACCIDENTS. BY EMPLOYING THE AUTOMATIC RAILWAY GATE CONTROL AT THE LEVEL CROSSING THE ARRIVAL OF THE TRAIN IS DETECTED BY THE SENSORS PLACED NEAR TO THE GATE. HENCE, THE TIME FOR WHICH IT CLOSES IS LESS COMPARED TO THE MANUALLY OPERATED GATES. THE OPERATION IS AUTOMATIC; ERROR DUE TO MANUAL OPERATION IS PREVENTED. AUTOMATIC RAILWAY GATE CONTROL IS HIGHLY MICROCONTROLLER BASED ARRANGEMENTS, DESIGNED FOR USE IN ALMOST ALL THE UNMANNED LEVEL CROSSING IN THE TRAIN. EVEN THIS PROJECT CAN IMPLEMENT PRACTICALLY BECAUSE IT IS ABLE TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF ACCIDENTS AND IT INCREASES THE SAFETY MEASURES. IT IS ALSO ECONOMICALLY FEASIBLE, WHEN IT WILL BE APPLIED IN BULK AT ALL THE RAILWAY CROSSINGS AND ALSO THERE IS JUST A NEED OF ONE MAN-POWER OR A GUARD AT EVERY CROSSING FOR ALL THESE SAFETY MEASURES. ACCIDENT AVOIDENCE DETAILS:- When the train arrives in a particular direction the transmitter IR senses and generates appropriate signal, then at the same time the receiver IR receives the signal and generates an interrupt. When the interrupt is generated the stepper motor rotates in clockwise direction. When the interrupt ends the stepper motor rotates in anti clockwise direction. Also during this process, intruder-circuit, alarm circuit, LCD timer circuit will be in ON state, so that total safety can be ensured. SOFTWARE IMPLEMENTATION: - KEIL SOFTWARE Keil provides a broad range of development tools like ANSI C compiler, macro assemblers, debuggers and simulators, linkers, IDE, library managers, real-time operating systems and evaluation boards. Keil provides a broad range of development tools like ANSI C compiler, macro assemblers, debuggers and simulators, linkers, IDE, library managers, real-time operating systems and evaluation boards for Intel 8051, Intel MCS-251, ARM, and XC16x/C16x/ST10 families. TECHNICAL, PRACTICAL AND ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY: IN THE RAPIDLY FLOURISHING COUNTRY LIKE OURS, ACCIDENTS IN THE MANNED LEVEL CROSSINGS ARE INCREASING DAY BY DAY. NO FRUITFUL STEPS HAVE BEEN TAKEN SO FAR IN THESE AREAS. OUR PROJECT DEALS WITH AUTOMATIC RAILWAY GATE OPERATION (I.E.,) AUTOMATIC RAILWAY GATE AT A LEVEL CROSSING REPLACING THE GATES OPERATED BY THE GATEKEEPERS, IT DEALS WITH TWO THINGS, FIRSTLY IT DEALS WITH THE REDUCTION OF TIME FOR WHICH THE GATE IS BEING KEPT CLOSED AND SECONDLY, TO PROVIDE SAFETY TO THE ROAD USERS BY REDUCING Components List: APPLICATIONS: - 1). Real time transport systems. 2). It reduces the complexity of railway crossing system. 3). This project ensures every measure to increase the safety of locals and will prevent any intrusion at railway crossing. 4). It saves time, as this system is automatic. ADVANTAGES: - Accident avoidance. Human Resource. Safety and quality of services 52

CONCLUSION Summarizing the whole project in nut shell, our model comprises of a sensing circuit which will sense the arrival of train on the track and will be placed at a calculated distance from the level crossing gates. After the train being sensed, a signal is send to the microcontroller which will again send a high signal to the RF transmitter. Now the RF module will transmit the information to another microcontroller placed at the crossing gate through which all the other circuits like servo motor, alarm and LCD display will be connected. The servo motor is used to open and close the crossing gate using the interrupt circuit. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT We would like to express our sincere thanks to our principal, project managing faculties and special thanks to our project guide Mr.Rajesh Purohit who has supported us through our project. The materials available with the listed reference books have a significant impact on this paper. We gratefully thank to the authors and publications of these reference books. We would also like to thank the websites listed. REFERENCES [1] Jacob Millman Christos C. Halkias.: Electronic Devices And Circuits, Tata McGraw-Hill Publishing Company Ltd. Sep, 2003. [2] Adler, R. B., A. C. Smith, and R. L. Longani: Introduction to Semiconductor Physics, vol. 1, p.78, Semiconductor. [3] Schade, O. H.: Analysis of Rectifier Operation, proc. IRE, vol.31, pp. 341-361, July, 1943. [4] www.electronicgarage.com [5] www.ieee-xplore.com 53