The application of Smart Data Services in interlocking systems

摘要

Digitisation in signalling and control systems started long before the introduction of network technologies. Put simply, relay interlocking systems involve digital systems which are based on the principle of open and closed contacts. Individual functions are modularly combined in the relay units in most cases. The current flow within the interlocking changes as the operating state changes and this follows a fixed pattern. The use of microprocessors was the next logical step in the digitisation of interlocking systems in order to enable higher system complexity, although the basic principle has remained unchanged. Nowadays, system-wide networking and the available computer and network capacities enable the highly complex analysis of large volumes of data in combination with machine learning. Smart data services can be used for anything from diagnostics through to predictive maintenance in different generations of legacy interlocking systems. In the majority of cases, this is even possible without using additional sensors. Fig. 1 shows the path towards predictive maintenance in the form of a workflow.