SIL4 Embedded Computer Systems for Rail Infrastructure and Rolling Stock
Leveraging over 30 years of expertise in developing highly reliable and available embedded computer systems, Artesyn Embedded Technologies is a premier supplier of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) fail-safe computer systems to rail system integrators and rail application providers.
With all safety-related software designed to be certified to EN50128 SIL4 and all reliability, availability, maintainability and safety (RAMS) processes to EN50126, and hardware to EN50129 SIL4, Artesyn’s ControlSafe™ Platforms can be deployed in safety application environments to protect investment in rail infrastructure.
Compliant Fail-Safe Platform for Rail Applications
Based on open standards, Artesyn’s ControlSafe Platforms are a cost-effective solution that enables all rail application developers and system integrators to substantially accelerate time-to-market without being deterred by the potentially high costs and risks associated with the stringent SIL4 system development and certification process.
Artesyn aims to provide rail industry customers with an unmatched, highly reliable platform with 15 years of planned product life and 25 years of extended support and service.
Reducing Railway System Downtime
Artesyn’s ControlSafe Platforms are designed to deliver best-in-class system availability as high as six nines (99.9999%), which means that system downtime is limited to less than a few seconds per year.
Artesyn has successfully completed extensive modeling and analysis by its team of highly qualified staff throughout the development and testing stages. As a result, Artesyn’s ControlSafe Platform meets all the functional safety, reliability and availability requirements mandated by rail standards and specifications.
Fail-Safe Computing System for Railway Operators
Adhering to Artesyn’s future-proof development philosophy, the ControlSafe Platform is modular, scalable and designed to seamlessly accommodate additional I/O interfaces as well as upgraded processors that will be required throughout the product life cycle.
A health-and-safety architecture guarantees that there is no possibility of an incorrect output being driven to external equipment.
Easy Software Upgrades for Rail Safety Systems
The ControlSafe Platform’s data lock-step architecture, which supports high performance modern processors, makes it possible to upgrade processors over time while retaining the same I/O.
Having implemented the 2oo2 voting facilities in hardware allows application developers to migrate existing application software with minimal modifications. An extensive set of well documented application programming interfaces (APIs) that provide access to system parameters and management facilities make it easy for application developers and system integrators to monitor and control the system.
The Artesyn ControlSafe Platform includes I/O modules that provide interface to a range of communication protocols such as CAN, Ethernet, Ethernet Ring, UART, and MVB. All I/O modules have a common architecture based on the same Power Architecture CPU core and the same Wind River VxWorks 653 certified operating system, thus simplifying the software development environment. All I/O modules are accessed over Ethernet allowing a seamless distributed architecture where additional expansion can be contained in a remote chassis. All modules support remote on-line software and firmware upgrade without risk of rendering a system inoperable.
ControlSafe Platform
The original ControlSafe Platform is a SIL4 certified COTS fail-safe and fault-tolerant platform for wayside or on-board train control and rail signalling applications. Comprising two redundant ControlSafe Computers (CSCs), each of which delivers fail-safe operation, the platform provides a highly available platform (up to six 9s). Active/standby CSC roles are managed by a SIL4-certified, electromechanical Safety Relay Box (external) or hardware/firmware Direct Connect Algorithm (internal) logic. The ControlSafe Platform and ControlSafe Computers are optimized for wayside applications with AC power, modular rear I/O for all operational interfaces, and up to six optional communications-based IO modules.
ControlSafe Expansion Box Platform
With a larger chassis optimized for I/O density, the ControlSafe® Expansion Box Platform is capable of significantly extending the I/O capacity of a master ControlSafe Platform or ControlSafe Computer (via Ethernet). The ControlSafe EXB also shares the core processing, safety, I/O, and availability architecture and hardware of the ControlSafe Computer. Thus, redundant ControlSafe EXBs can also be deployed in place of the ControlSafe Computer, providing much higher integrated I/O, plus scalability through one or more ControlSafe EXB slaves. Each ControlSafe EXB includes redundant AC power supply units, and accommodates up to 10 expansion I/O modules, each 2-6 times larger than other ControlSafe I/O modules. This increased availability and I/O density, supporting rear connectivity, is ideal for large, or multi-station wayside applications. ControlSafe Computer Expansion Boxes are designed to operate as a redundant active/standby platform (whether as master or expansion), managed by the hardware/firmware Direct Connect Algorithm (internal) logic, providing the same fail-safe, highly available operation as the ControlSafe Computer.
ControlSafe Compact Carborne Platform
The smallest ControlSafe platform uses the same core components of the ControlSafe Carborne Computer (and thus provides the same operational / programming model as all other ControlSafe platforms) but in a half-rack-width chassis, with a single, front access I/O module slot. Thus, two Compact-ControlSafe Carborne Computers can be installed side-by-side in a standard 19-inch rack. This makes the ControlSafe® Compact Carborne Platform an ideal highly available, SIL4-ready safety engine / platform for standalone safety processing or remote I/O control. (ControlSafe Compact Carborne Platform SIL4 certification pending).
The Artesyn Experience
Artesyn has over 30 years of experience serving a range of fault-tolerant industries, including the world’s telecommunications networks, where we have deployed hundreds of thousands of products.
With that long experience comes a deep understanding of our customers’ requirements for on-time, consistent and high quality product coupled with excellent customer support. We deliver on all counts from our own world-class factory and seasoned support experts.
Product features are supported globally with local system architects and FAEs to keep you on schedule.
