A system for controlling one or more vital wayside devices of a railway network, comprising one or more vital switches, each vital switch being comprised in or operatively connected to an associated device of the one or more vital wayside devices, and a controller which is configured to control the one or more vital wayside devices. The controller is connected to each of the one or more vital switches by means of at least one optical fiber cable and is configured to output one or more light command signals over the at least one optical fiber cable, and each vital switch is configured to switch from an open status to a closed status to provide power and ground to the associated vital wayside device upon receiving at least one corresponding light command signal outputted by the controller for commanding an action of the associated vital wayside device.

A system for controlling one or more vital wayside devices of a railway network, comprising one or more vital switches, each vital switch being comprised in or operatively connected to an associated device of the one or more vital wayside devices, and a controller which is configured to control the one or more vital wayside devices. The controller is connected to each of the one or more vital switches by means of at least one optical fiber cable and is configured to output one or more light command signals over the at least one optical fiber cable, and each vital switch is configured to switch from an open status to a closed status to provide power and ground to the associated vital wayside device upon receiving at least one corresponding light command signal outputted by the controller for commanding an action of the associated vital wayside device.

A system, in particular for controlling signal towers in rail traffic, includes at least a plurality of redundant replicants for generating redundant control signals. A voter structure having a plurality of majority voters is also provided. Each majority voter has a respective output and inputs that are connected to the outputs of the plurality of redundant replicants. The voter structure and the plurality of redundant replicants are separated from one another in terms of hardware, the outputs of the plurality of majority voters are connected to the inputs of a discriminator voter and the output of the discriminator voter provides a control signal, in particular for controlling signal towers. The discriminator voter only emits a control signal when the inputs thereof are not at variance.

A system, in particular for controlling signal towers in rail traffic, includes at least a plurality of redundant replicants for generating redundant control signals. A voter structure having a plurality of majority voters is also provided. Each majority voter has a respective output and inputs that are connected to the outputs of the plurality of redundant replicants. The voter structure and the plurality of redundant replicants are separated from one another in terms of hardware, the outputs of the plurality of majority voters are connected to the inputs of a discriminator voter and the output of the discriminator voter provides a control signal, in particular for controlling signal towers. The discriminator voter only emits a control signal when the inputs thereof are not at variance.

A collision avoidance system obtains movement indicative data of plural vehicles included in separate vehicle systems. The movement indicative data can be obtained from sensors onboard the vehicles. The system determines an identification of which of the vehicles are included in the separate vehicle systems based on the movement indicative data that are obtained and determines a collision risk between two or more vehicle systems of the separate vehicle systems based on the movement indicative data that are obtained and the identification of which of the vehicles are in the separate vehicle systems. The system automatically changes movement of at least one of the two or more vehicle systems responsive to determining the collision risk.

A collision avoidance system obtains movement indicative data of plural vehicles included in separate vehicle systems. The movement indicative data can be obtained from sensors onboard the vehicles. The system determines an identification of which of the vehicles are included in the separate vehicle systems based on the movement indicative data that are obtained and determines a collision risk between two or more vehicle systems of the separate vehicle systems based on the movement indicative data that are obtained and the identification of which of the vehicles are in the separate vehicle systems. The system automatically changes movement of at least one of the two or more vehicle systems responsive to determining the collision risk.

A method for detecting whether a point rail is attached to a stock rail is disclosed. The method is performed by using a first pressure sensor and a second pressure sensor. Each of the first pressure sensor and the second pressure sensor is configured to detect whether the point rail is attached to the corresponding one of the pair of stock rails, convert a pressure signal between the point rail and the stock rails into a voltage signal, and transmit the voltage signal to a signal processor. The signal processor is configured to process and transmit the processed voltage signal to a monitoring center having a host computer. The host computer is configured to control an operation of a switch in response to the detected pressure value collected by the first pressure sensor and the second pressure sensor by using a PID control algorithm.

A method for detecting whether a point rail is attached to a stock rail is disclosed. The method is performed by using a first pressure sensor and a second pressure sensor. Each of the first pressure sensor and the second pressure sensor is configured to detect whether the point rail is attached to the corresponding one of the pair of stock rails, convert a pressure signal between the point rail and the stock rails into a voltage signal, and transmit the voltage signal to a signal processor. The signal processor is configured to process and transmit the processed voltage signal to a monitoring center having a host computer. The host computer is configured to control an operation of a switch in response to the detected pressure value collected by the first pressure sensor and the second pressure sensor by using a PID control algorithm.

An economical information transmission system for rail transport includes a transmitter having a known transmission power for communication between a track section and a rail vehicle. A receiver has at least one first adjustable receive level threshold, with which a maximum distance between the transmitter and the receiver can be defined in a particular application, within which the receiver is able to receive with respect to the transmitter. An information transmission method is also provided.

An economical information transmission system for rail transport includes a transmitter having a known transmission power for communication between a track section and a rail vehicle. A receiver has at least one first adjustable receive level threshold, with which a maximum distance between the transmitter and the receiver can be defined in a particular application, within which the receiver is able to receive with respect to the transmitter. An information transmission method is also provided.