Bombardier/ALSTOM Lab
The Bombardier/ALSTOM laboratory, established in cooperation with the Bombardier /ALSTOM company, is equipped by Bombardier Transportation Poland with the latest computer hardware and software in the field of railway traffic control systems, smart systems, and cybersecurity, where students can train and develop their skills to deploy safe and secure solutions in smart transportation including rail control and signaling systems. Each laboratory exercise is based on recommendations from the Bombardier Transportation partner, which prepared documentation with details of the safety and security requirements.
The laboratory can be effectively used for both didactic and research activities. It consists of 12 modern and comfortable workplaces equipped with industrial controllers, specialized onboard computers, as well as dedicated and professional software components. The controllers are elements of the lock subsystem of the rail lines. It is focused on maintaining transportation lines safe and secure for the rolling stock on the one hand and efficient on the other. The system's high reliability is reached by hardware and software redundancy in different stages of signal processing, communication, and data processing. They can also be used to build new test benches for testing communication, devices, and software redundancy.
The onboard controllers are unique and highly safety-oriented devices. They are dedicated to making optimal passage of the rolling stock between neighboring nodes of the transportation network in the scope of both temporal and safety domains. Here, also reliability, as well as efficiency are the points of consideration. Additionally, the equipment can be used to create innovative and modern programs designed to control the stock in movement. Nowadays, computer systems cannot exist without communication systems. Therefore, in the laboratory, there is a modern computer network infrastructure. Depending on the area of data exchange interface application, several solutions are available.
At the level of engine control, there is the highly efficient CAN communication network, showing that it is dedicated not only to the automotive industry, and its area of application is much broader. In the scope of controller programming and vertical communication, there is the indispensable Ethernet standard. Moreover, for controlling internal communication, the PowerLink solution is made available. It is typically implemented in real-time and complex real-time systems. Considering cutting-edge technologies and equipment available in the laboratory, it may be used for didactic purposes and scientific research in many areas of expertise. The laboratory is innovative, modern, and meets the current industry requirements and science trends in industrial informatics.
