The application of industrial computers in subways

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Railways are a fundamental industry; they serve as the backbone of the national economy and the core of the transportation system. To meet the needs of sustainable economic development and to satisfy the demands of the transportation market, during the 11th Five-Year Plan period, **will increase investment in railway construction in order to accelerate the modernization of China’s railways. 　 Hubei is the birthplace of railways in China, where China’s first railway was built. However, for a long time, railway transport capacity has been extremely strained, which does not match Hubei’s important role as a transportation hub connecting nine provinces, nor it meets the strategic requirements for the development of the central region. ***The chief inspector visited the Tianxingzhou railway-bridge over the Yangtze River project, emphasizing the need to complete successfully both the Wuhan-Guangzhou high-speed rail line and the Tianxingzhou Bridge, which represent a new milestone in China’s railway construction history. As a company that has made significant contributions to the intelligence/informationization of railways, Unisplendour will provide full support and active cooperation to work together with the Hubei Provincial Railway Department to ensure the smooth progress of key railway projects. The 2006 Wuhan International Railway Construction Exhibition, organized by the Ministry of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China/China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, as well as Hubei Province/Shaanxi Province/Hunan Province**, with the support of the Wuhan People’s **, will be held on September 23. The Wuhan branch of Advantech has assembled a team of highly skilled experts and technicians to participate in this exhibition, presenting in detail how Advantech’s embedded technologies are applied in various systems such as railway transportation management information systems, train command and dispatch management systems, automatic train number identification systems, nationwide passenger ticket sales and pre-sale systems, and electronic office automation systems. 　　　　To turn the Wuhan railway into one of the four major railway network hubs in the country, Advantech will spare no effort to contribute its latest products and most advanced technologies. 　　 A brief analysis of the application of industrial computers in the subway industry 　　(1) Ticket vending and checking systems 　　　　In recent years, with the rapid economic development, rail transit construction – an important part of urban transportation development – has also seen swift progress. Urban rail transit is a high-capacity passenger transport mode that is safe, comfortable, fast, punctual, and environmentally friendly. Advantech industrial computers are also used in applications such as PIDS (Passenger Information Display Systems), AFC (Automatic Fare Collection Systems), control units, and in-car monitoring systems. Among them, the Automatic Fare Collection (AFC) system is the most important component, serving as a key indicator of the level of informatization in rail transit. 　　 　　I. Overview of the development of subway systems across China: The Octopus system was put into operation in September 1997. It uses SONY’s first-generation FELICA cards, and the system integration was carried out by the Australian company ERG. In addition to being used in transportation services such as buses, ferries, light rails, and subways, this system has now been extended to cover small-scale purchases at places such as parking lots, swimming pools, Max Food restaurants, and 7-Eleven convenience stores. By April 2001, the number of cards issued had reached 7.2 million, with daily transaction volumes exceeding 5 million transactions, and the total value of those transactions reaching over 40 million Hong Kong dollars. 　　 Guangzhou Metro: The AFC systems for Guangzhou Metro Lines 1 and 2 were put into use at the first five stations in mid-1998, with the entire line becoming operational at the beginning of 1999. In terms of its usage, this system employs contactless IC card technology, ensuring accurate data processing and transmission; as a result, ticketing and fare collection in Guangzhou Metro have been truly digitized and automated. The AFC systems for Guangzhou Metro Lines 1 and 2 were originally developed by the American company Motorola; later, the South Korean company Samsung Data took over the project, with TOKEN technology being used for one-way tickets. 　　 Shenzhen Metro: Shenzhen will phase out its existing bus IC card system and promote the use of \"Shenzhen Pass\", which will be interoperable with **Octopus**. Shenzhen Metro has completed the construction of Lines 1 and 2, with its AFC system being undertaken by Shenzhen MCM Company. 　　 Shanghai Metro and Shanghai Public Transport began using a contactless IC card ticketing system in October 1997. It was developed by the Shanghai Institute of Computer Technology, utilizing Mifare cards, with custom software for the cards and readers being created by them. At the same time, Shanghai Metro also signed a supply contract with the American company CUBIC for the AFC systems for Lines 1 and 2 of Shanghai Metro, which support both magnetic cards and contactless IC cards. Later, due to the requirements of the city’s integrated card system, all bus and subway systems were upgraded to use Hua Hong IC card technology, and local AFC system standards for Shanghai were established. With the development of Shanghai as a city, its rail transit system has grown rapidly; it is estimated that by 2010, Shanghai will have built approximately 400 km of urban rail networks. 　　 Nanjing Metro: The AFC system for Nanjing Metro Line 1 was developed jointly by the French company THALES and Nanjing Panda Electronics Co., Ltd. It utilizes Europe’s most advanced TOKEN technology to enable a unified city card for public transportation and subways. 　　 In other cities that are under construction or will soon be built, such as Beijing, Tianjin, Shenyang, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Wuhan, Chongqing, and others, urban rail transit systems all consider the AFC system to be an important component, employing various AFC technologies. Foreign companies such as Omron and Nisshin from Japan, THALES and ASCOM from France, CUBIC from the United States, and Samsung Data from South Korea have entered the Chinese market, while domestic companies like Shenzhen Modern, Shanghai Huahong, and Shanghai Youtong have become representatives of the AFC industry in China. 　　 　　II. Hierarchical structure of the Automatic Fare Collection system (AFC): The Automatic Fare Collection system (AFC) is an automated system that utilizes technologies such as computers, communications, networking, and automatic control to handle all aspects related to ticket sales, ticket checking, billing, fee collection, statistics, fund settlement, and management in rail transit systems. In economically developed cities abroad, rail transit systems have widely adopted such management systems, which have reached a fairly advanced technical level. The ticket vending and checking equipment used in urban rail transit stations in our country originally came from abroad; in recent years, however, significant development efforts have been carried out here, resulting in a variety of products and a continuous improvement in technical standards. The development of AFC systems for domestic rail transit has gone from nothing to something tangible. With the advancement of computer technology and software, the AFC technology used in urban rail transit in China has been integrated with city-wide card systems, enabling the use of single cards for travel within cities and even between different cities. 　　 The structure of the Automatic Fare Collection system (AFC) for urban rail transit is hierarchically divided into five levels: tickets, station terminal equipment, station computer systems, line central computer systems, and the cash handling system. 　　 The hierarchy is structured according to a fully enclosed operation mode, based on a metered pricing system and using contactless IC cards as the ticket medium. It is organized by dividing various equipment and subsystems according to their respective functions, management responsibilities, and locations. The five-layer structural format currently established is designed based on China’s national conditions and the current state of urban development, taking into account the characteristics of rail transit construction (such as numerous and complex lines, long construction periods, and multiple owners), and it possesses a certain degree of flexibility. The following provisions are set forth for the functions and requirements that must be met at each level: Level 1 — The ticket is the medium used by passengers to pay for fares; it specifies the technical requirements regarding the physical and electrical characteristics, the organization of application files, and security mechanisms for two types of tickets: pre-paid cards and one-way tickets ； 　　 The second layer —— Station terminal equipment is installed in the concourses of various stations; it are the devices that provide ticket sales and checking services to passengers, and technical requirements for such station terminal equipment as well as for its operation and management are specified ； 　　 The third layer is the station computer system, whose main functions are to monitor the status of the terminal devices at the station in the second layer, as well as to collect transaction and audit data generated at that station. It specifies the technical requirements for data management, operational management, and system maintenance ； 　　 The fourth layer is the central computer system for the line; its main function is to collect the transaction and audit data generated by the line’s AFC system, and to transmit this data to the urban rail transit settlement system as well as to reconcile it with that system. It also specifies the technical requirements for ticketing management, operational management, and system maintenance for that line ； 　　 The fifth layer is the settlement system. Its main functions are to standardize various operational parameters within the urban rail transit AFC system, collect transaction and audit data generated by this system for processing and reconciliation, as well as to connect the urban rail transit AFC system with the city’s unified card settlement system. It also specifies the technical requirements for ticket management, ticketing operations, operational management, and system maintenance. 　　 　　III. Architectural principles of Advantech industrial computers in ticketing systems: An Automatic Fare Collection (AFC) system is a comprehensive set of solutions for enabling automatic charging, settlement, and accounting in such industries; Advantech industrial computers are primarily used in automatic gate machines (AGMs) and the main control units for ticket sales (TVMs). Automatic ticket gates can provide automatic ticket checking at entrances and exits with high passenger traffic, such as stations, ports, and subways; it is a fast, simple, safe, and reliable method. According to their function, automatic ticket gates can be divided into entrance gates and exit gates. Based on user requirements and usage scenarios, the blocking mechanisms of ticket validators can be divided into door-opening type and rod type. 　　 System principle: In an automatic ticket gate system, multiple serial ports are required, such as those for automatic ticket handling, contactless IC cards, display screens for showing information, controllers for blocking devices, a central controller, alarms, etc. At the same time, network ports and USB interfaces are needed to facilitate communication with system terminals. The system can use the Advantech EC5‑1712CLDN as the central control unit, along with 104‑1621CLDN expansion modules to handle the operations of the turnstiles and other control functions. The system block diagram is shown below: In the automatic ticketing control section (TVM), an EC5‑1714CLDNA motherboard, a 104 motherboard, and communication cards are used to manage ticketing operations, thereby ensuring a smooth and stable system operation. 　　 Unisplendour Industrial Control has played an important role in the subway industry, and it also contributes to the true localization of the AFC sector within this industry. 　　 　　(II) Video surveillance system on trains: On December 26, 2005, when the first train of Guangzhou Metro Line 4 completed its trial operation successfully, it marked another breakthrough for China in the field of rail transit. The University Town branch of Line 4, used for trial runs, has a total of 27 stations, including 13 underground stations and 14 elevated stations. This new train is China’s first to use linear motors, enabling it to move both vertically and horizontally. Among trains operating on similar linear motor tracks, it has the highest rated passenger capacity in the world, with a single carriage capable of holding up to 300 people. It is also the first train in the country to be equipped with a video surveillance system; each train has 10 cameras and 12 emergency call buttons, allowing the driver to clearly observe the situation inside the carriage. In the future, it will also be monitored in real time from a ground control center via a GPS system. According to relevant experts, monitoring systems will be installed in all subway cars in the future. 　　 With the rapid development of industrialization and informatization, the subway has become a major transportation hub in modern cities. The safety of urban rail systems has thus become a focus of societal concern. In recent years, subway **attacks have occurred in countries such as the UK, the US, and South Korea, prompting these nations to pay increasing attention to security and anti-terrorist measures in public spaces. Given the importance of social safety, the necessary conditions for on-board surveillance were established at the initial stage of construction, and on-board video surveillance systems were installed on trains that were already in operation. 　　 In the event of an **attack**, passengers on the subway can communicate directly with the train driver through the emergency communication system installed on the glass doors of the carriages; the driver can also see the situation inside the carriages clearly on the LCD display in the control cabin. 　　 　　I. Operational Informatization: As the coverage of urban subways continues to expand, the traffic volume carried by these subways is increasing day by day. With the development of information technology, on-board video surveillance not only serves to monitor safety inside the vehicle but also enables continuous tracking of passenger flow, providing reliable and accurate data for optimizing train operation scheduling. 　　 　　II. Sharing of successful applications of EVOC products in subways 　　 1. The video surveillance system installed on trains of Guangzhou Metro Lines 4 and 5 (hereinafter referred to as the system) is the first video surveillance project of its kind in domestic subways. The system provides drivers with the capability to monitor the passengers’ conditions as well as the conditions in both driver’s cabins from a centralized location in the cab. It also offers interfaces with the Train Management System (TMS), the Passenger Information Display System (PIDS), the train door control units (emergency door unlocking devices), as well as smoke and temperature detectors in the train carriages. At the same time, the system must meet various technical requirements for trains and tunnels, such as electromagnetic interference, seismic resistance, and dust prevention. It is an essential safeguard system for dealing with emergency incidents and monitoring train safety in subway operations. 　　 2. Main components of the system:
· One set of “EVOC” brand IPC‑6806GL system control units per driver’s cab
· One set of “EVOC” brand PDS‑1201 LCD displays per driver’s cab
· MGW500E units, one per passenger compartment (customer-supplied product)
· Two cameras per passenger compartment and one camera per driver’s cab
· Various accessories

3. Features of the system:
· High stability
· Standardization: complies with relevant rail transit standards
· Flexible configuration and simple operation of the system
· Rational design of monitoring points, with no blind spots
· Logical wiring within the vehicle, requiring minimal wiring
· Easy and straightforward maintenance
· Strong scalability, facilitating future transition to wireless systems as well as integration with OCC, PIDS, and TMS
· Symmetrical design, aiding in coordination between vehicles and future expansion
· High level of security
· Rational equipment configuration and system layout
· Fully suitable for train installation requirements
· The train is equipped with full autonomous driving capabilities

III. Conclusion:
Our Unisplendour products already occupy a significant share of the market in existing subway projects. **The policy aims to vigorously develop subways/light rails, so this represents a great opportunity for us. We must seize this chance and build on our success to achieve better results in this emerging market.